


To Say, "Oh, What A Beautiful Life"

by pyrefiy



Series: pyre's box of seulrene [1]
Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: F/F, I'm not gonna tag everyone, so here are the major characters/ships, yes it's a super large cast
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-21
Updated: 2019-03-21
Packaged: 2019-11-27 03:11:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 49,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18189020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pyrefiy/pseuds/pyrefiy
Summary: "And you are going to get back on that playing field even faster and stronger than you were before." But Seulgi doubts. She doubts, doubts, doubts. Or, Seulgi has a mere ten months until the FIFA World Cup, and the task in front of her is impossible. Enter Bae Irene, the girl who will flip her world upside down and make everything a little lighter.





	1. We've Got Nothing To Fear, We've Got Nothing But Heart

**Author's Note:**

> finally got around to posting this one on ao3 as well lol it's been on aff for years but anyway here we go!!!

**Two days post-injury**

**_South Korea’s Star Center Midfielder Kang Seulgi Tears ACL In Right Knee_ **

_ An MRI from yesterday afternoon confirmed that South Korean Women’s National Soccer Team center-midfielder and co-captain Kang Seulgi sustained tears to the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee. The starting midfielder  suffered the injury late in the first half of a friendly match against direct rival team North Korea. _

_ Kang Seulgi, who had gotten in the way of a reckless tackle from a North Korean forward, will be sidelined for the next few months in order for her to “have ample time to recover,” as reported by the Women’s National Team Coach, Kwon Yuri. Seulgi, as we have been informed by the hospital, exited the surgical ward this morning, and is currently resting. _

_ It is still unclear whether or not Kang Seulgi will be able to play in the revered FIFA World Cup, an international tournament which occurs once every four years - that is being held in ten months’ time - should South Korea qualify. _

_ The real question here is whether or not it would be wise to have Kang Seulgi on the team, given how short on time she is in terms of her recovery period. _

_ [+14324, -534] can’t even lead her team properly. she should just stay away from the National Team! there’s no way she’ll be anywhere near where she was before the injury by FIFA! _

_ [+953, -643] Moonbyul is a better captain. There was no need for Seulgi to be co-captain anyway. _

_ [+698, -132] If she broke her leg during a friendly match, imagine during an actual tournament. We’ll be down a player before the first match is over. _

_ [+231, -81] she’s hot, but that’s all she’s good for. Overrated. _

_ [+189, -10] stop being so harsh, guys. Seulgi might end up disappearing like Bae Joohyun. _

“Kang Seulgi, what do you think you’re reading?”

Seulgi stiffens at the sharp voice slicing through the stale hospital air, and she hastily hides her phone in the white bedsheets of the hospital bed.

“Nothing.”

“Really?” Wendy raises an eyebrow and holds out her right hand. “Give.”

Uncertainty betraying her bravado, Seulgi slowly pulls her phone out from where she had shoved it, gingerly tapping at the touch screen to unlock its contents, though it didn’t really matter— Wendy knew her password anyway. Taking her time, Seulgi hands the rectangular device over to her best friend, who frowns as she scrolls through the article and its comments.

“...Seul—”

“—I know I shouldn’t have read them,” Seulgi interjects, her voice devoid of emotion. “Sorry, I just wanted to know, okay? I was curious. Don’t worry. I won’t let that stuff get to my head or anything.”

“...Good,” Wendy says quietly. “I don’t want the words of some faceless idiots influencing my best friend. You are better than them. Please believe that. You’ll be back on the soccer field with the rest of us in no time.”

Seulgi nods. “Okay.”

That’s the end of that conversation.

(Wendy leaves Seulgi’s hospital room thirty minutes later with a sigh. As she enters the elevator, she pulls out her cellphone, punching in a number. Tiredly, she holds it up to her ear, listening to the monotonous dial tone ring.

“...Hello? Wannie? Are you okay? How is she?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Wendy says softly. “Seulgi… she found that article you showed me earlier— you know, the one you told me explicitly to keep away from her…  _ and  _ the comments.”

“Oh no…”

“God,” the left-wing defender rakes a hand back through her hair in frustration, her voice cracking as she recalls the emotionless look on Seulgi’s face. “She looked so broken, but she’s my best friend and I… I didn’t know what to tell her.”

“... Are you on your way down, Wan? It’s late. I should take you home.”

“Yeah, I’m in the elevator.” A pause. “Can I stay over your place tonight? I don’t want to go back to mine when my roommate is confined to a hospital bed.”

“Of course, Wan. Anytime.”

“...Eunji?”

“Yeah?”

“What do you think will happen from here?”

“...I’m sorry, Seungwan. I don’t know. We’ll head back to the hospital first thing in the morning, okay? We’ll visit Seulgi together with the other girls.”

“Okay.”).

\--

**Three days post-injury**

“Seulgi had ‘gotten in the way’?” Joy’s angry voice rings through the tiny room. “What bullshit! That North Korean forward tackled you to the ground! She aimed for you specifically! How the hell is that our Cap  _ getting in the way?!” _

“Who knows, Sooyoung.” Seulgi shrugs, looking like she got exactly zero sleep last night (which is true. She didn’t sleep a wink).

“Good thing that Eunae somewhat got revenge,” Yeri pipes up, and Joy nods in approval as Seulgi smiles softly.

“Thanks, Eunae,” Seulgi says solemnly, turning to look at the taller forward. Eunae sends a small smile her captain’s way.

“Tripping that enemy defender was totally worth the yellow card,” Eunae remarks with a shrug. “My original plan was to tackle her to the ground like a scrap match, and Krystal and Amber were all for it! But I made the mistake of telling YooA, and she made me promise not to get a red card.  _ But _ , she said that I was free to trip my opponents all I wanted.”

“I love how your version of ‘tripping an opponent’ is more like you grabbing her ankle and violently dragging her to the ground,” Seulgi jokes weakly, and the laugh that exits Eunae’s lips is gentle.

“I mean, better it me than SinB. She planned on sneaking into their locker room and stealing their change of clothes.” Eunae replies, amused. “Or Moonbyul, for that matter.”

“For the record,” SinB speaks up from her spot where she was leaning against the expansive hospital windowsill, “Moonbyul was on the bench talking about ramming her spiky cleats into their stomach. At least my version of comeuppance was less violent.”

Seulgi chuckles lowly. “The thought is nice though, SinB. Thanks for having my back.”

“Anytime, Cap,” the younger girl responds evenly with a nod. She looks out the window again, out over the hospital parking lot. “By the way, I saw Wendy and Eunji on the way over here. They just parked their car.”

“Did Eunji take Wendy home?” Seulgi asks. “I know that she hates being alone.”

“I think Wendy mentioned in the groupchat that she was going to be staying over at Eunji’s place for the night,” Yeri replies, pulling out her phone and swiping open the National Team groupchat. “Ever since Eunji was called up to the National Team three months ago, they’ve gotten pretty close.”

Seulgi nods slowly, digesting the information. “That’s good. I trust Eunji.”

“Also,” Yeri continues. “Coach Kwon just sent something. She says that she’s coming to visit you in an hour or so, and she’s bringing along the physical therapist that Moonbyul recommended to you.”

Seulgi nods again. “Okay. That’s cool, I guess.”

“Are you looking forward to getting back on your legs?” Eunae asks.

“Yeah,” Seulgi tries to reply enthusiastically, and while her words sound convincing to her teammates, there’s something not right about the way her stomach pitfalls into a dark place.

\--

Coach Kwon enters the room with both Moonbyul and Solar directly behind her, and a  _ very _ pretty lady trailing a bit farther back. The serious look on the coach’s face is more than enough to send all of Seulgi’s visitors (AKA the majority of the National Team) hastily exiting from the room, but not before glancing at the unfamiliar woman curiously peering over Moonbyul’s shoulder, trying to get a good look at Seulgi.

Once the room is considerably more vacant and hellos have been exchanged, the newcomer steps around Coach Kwon, walking up to Seulgi in her hospital bed, holding her hand out a kind smile on her face.

Seulgi regards her with wide eyes. This woman just exuded an aura of  _ beauty;  _ everything from the way her black tresses fell perfectly onto her shoulders, to how her lips quirked up at just the right angle to make the most charming smile Seulgi’s ever bore witness to. But there’s something oddly familiar about her countenance that makes Seulgi do a double take, but she still can’t recognize where she’s seen that face before.

_ Don’t tell me that she’s my _ —

“I’m Irene,” the pretty lady introduces herself. “Coach Kwon contacted me about your physical therapy.”

Seulgi swallows. “Did she?”

Irene hums, nodding.

Coach Kwon steps in. “Irene is a very capable physical therapist. She helped Byul out when she pulled her shoulder from one too many slide tackles, remember Byul?”

Moonbyul coughs at the stern side-eye from her coach. “Hah, yeah. How could I forget.”

“Irene and I are best friends,” Solar inputs. “As your surgeon, I can recommend her ten out of ten.” The brunette doctor winks. “Also I’ve analyzed your post-surgery x-rays, and you should be able to walk without crutches again in about a month or so.”

“Thanks for all your hard work, Solar. I’m glad that it was someone I knew personally operating on me.” Seulgi says honestly. “Have I ever mentioned that I’m so glad that Byul is dating you?”

“Countless times,” Solar chuckles, and Moonbyul looks at her adoringly. “Anyway, you’re free to start your physical therapy really soon. Coach Kwon knew that you’d probably want an early start, so she called up Irene for you. She’ll be helping you get back into shape for at least the next nine months.”

_ Nine months.  _ Seulgi forces enthusiasm.. “Okay. Great.”

Though her faux zeal manages to escape under the radar of Moonbyul, Solar, and Coach Kwon, Irene locks onto the tiredness lurking ominously in Seulgi gaze. Those aren’t the eyes of the great captain of the National Team that Irene has heard nothing but praise for, and it’s startlingly familiar.

“Well,” Irene says, a slight smirk gracing her lips. “Technically, we can’t start your PT until next week, so until then, I’m going to keep visiting you to try and boost that morale.”

Seulgi laughs nervously. “Who said that my morale needs any boosting?”

“Your new physical therapist.” That smirk grows larger, and Irene’s eyes seem to glow, some previously hidden passion emerging that had previously gone unnoticed. “And I’ll start by telling you this: I promise you. I will have you fixed up  _ months _ before the World Cup, and  _ months _ before those initial nine months are up. And you are going to get back on that playing field even faster and stronger than you were before.”

Seulgi doubts that. She doubts, doubts,  _ doubts. _ Because she hasn’t heard of a recovery story that’s ever lasted anything less than a year, and Seulgi doesn’t have a year. She has a mere ten months until the FIFA World Cup, and the task in front of her is impossible. So she doubts, doubts,  _ doubts. _

(But from the look in Irene’s eyes, and the way that Moonbyul and Coach Kwon gaze at her with such reassurance, Seulgi almost believes.)

\--

**Four days post-injury**

“You were serious about continuously visiting me?” Seulgi questions at ten o’clock the next morning, dubiously observing Irene sitting on the edge of her bed, a sports magazine in the older girl’s hands.

Despite her injury, practices persisted for her other teammates, and after a quick visit from Wendy, Joy, and Yeri to deliver her breakfast (“Hospital food is shit,” Seulgi had deadpanned the day before), they had to leave to catch up with the others.

“Yes,” Irene answers with a shrug. “I’ve literally got nothing better to do, so here I am.”

“Don’t you have any other patients?” Seulgi asks, and raises en eyebrow when Irene shrugs again.

“I’m not the type to take on more than one patient at a time,” Irene explains upon Seulgi’s suspicious look. “I’ve learned over the years that personal connection helps a lot in recovery periods, so that’s my policy. I have a firm belief in being in the right place at the right time.”

“So if, say, a big sports star is looking for you to be their therapist, but you’ve already got one patient who is of lesser stardom,” Seulgi theorizes. “You’d deny the sports star and keep on training your original patient, correct?”

Irene nods. “Correct. If I already have a patient, I think of it as the world telling me that I probably wasn’t meant to help that big sports star in the first place. Somebody else can probably do it better than me. Everyone is different, after all. Some people need a different style of training.”

“...And you think that your style can help me best?”

“Precisely,” Irene says with nothing but certitude. “I think you’ll be my best case yet, Kang Seulgi.”

Seulgi has never wanted to have faith so badly.

\--

“Your teammates miss you already,” Irene smirks, thirty minutes later, reclined in a comfy chair by Seulgi’s side, phone in hand. “Unfortunately, I follow a lot of your teammates on Twitter, and my timeline is being blown up with their tweets.”

“...I’m almost scared to look,” Seulgi confesses. She pauses, thinking of the consequences. Yeah, definitely better to check her notifications. “Irene- _ ssi, _ can you hand me my phone?”

“It’s just  _ Irene,” _ the physical therapist reminds Seulgi gently, but hands the bedridden girl her phone over nonetheless. “And I think you’ll have a good laugh.”

“Oh no,” Seulgi chuckles, tapping out her passcode and almost reluctantly opening up her twitter. She’s been smart enough to filter her notifications so that she only gets them from her teammates, but  _ 20+ notifications… I’m actually feeling frightened. _

**@myemim: @sringles yo Seul unnie look check out what Momo unnie can do**

**@sringles: @myemim why did you take a video of Momo shoving 18 marshmallows into her mouth**

**@myemim: @sringles cuz we’re bored and we miss you and Momo wanted to do the chubby bunny challenge**

**@momoring: @sringles @ myemim Seulgi unnieeeeee I miss our dance battlessssss**

**@sringles: @momoring @myemim I do too Momo! We’ll have a rematch sometime soon ;)**

“You dance?” Irene inquires, not even looking up from her own phone.

“Yeah,” Seulgi replies. “At least, I  _ did. _ Momo and I liked to play around in the locker rooms before games.”

Irene smiles. “I would love to see that.”

Okay, so Seulgi decides that maybe Irene  _ should _ stick around.

\--

**Five days post-injury**

“I can’t do this,” Seulgi groans, plopping back down onto the bed, her new crutches clanging to the ground. “My leg is killing me! It hurts so much, it—  _ ARGH.” _ She grits her teeth as a spike of pain shoots up the side of her right leg.

“Hey!” Irene rushes to her side, holding Seulgi an arm’s length away. “Yes you can, Kang Seulgi. You are the world’s best center midfielder. You can do something as simple as learn to walk with crutches.”

“I can’t even lead my team properly!” Seulgi shoots back, the words from that article ringing through her head like a metal gong. “My favorite soccer player broke her leg, and then she never came back to the National Team! Maybe I shouldn’t even bother trying to recover! Maybe my teammates are better without me there anyway!”

The sad look in Irene’s eyes is too much to handle, and Seulgi quickly turns away, looking down at the off-shade white bedsheets clenched between her fists. The silence is overwhelming.

“...Is that what you think?” Irene whispers, her words deafening in the quiet room. “Your teammates wouldn’t like you thinking that way.”

“Isn’t that the truth though?” Seulgi replies with bitterness laced within her admission. “My teammates might think otherwise, but the rest of Korea seems to disagree.” 

“Then why don’t you prove them wrong?”

Seulgi’s retort of  _ it doesn’t matter _ dies on her tongue at that.

“What’s stopping you?” Irene presses. She’s already pushed a button. Might as well go all the way.

“...I don’t know.” It’s the first honest answer that Seulgi’s given Irene all week. “I don’t know… I just— the media doesn’t seem to think that I’ll make it to the World Cup; that I won’t have enough time. Meanwhile, my teammates think that I can pull off some miracle. And I… I haven’t found the drive to do any of it. Not when it seems like time itself is against me.”

More silence.

“Seul,” Irene says a moment later, a hint of wistfulness sneaking into her tone. “I have something that I want to show you, and things I want to tell you. But I can’t show you from here in this hospital, and I can’t take you in a wheelchair. I need you to work on using your crutches. Can you do that for me?”

Seulgi stares at Irene speechlessly, the throbbing in her right leg echoing throughout her body, but the resounding weight of Irene’s words slicing through the pain. And there’s nothing but Irene, and for one reason or another, she’s all the motivation Seulgi needs..

“...I might be able to do that.”

\--

**Six days post-injury**

“We walk all the way outside to the hospital garden only for you to use your phone!” Irene complains, careening her head back as she reclines on the wooden bench. “This was supposed to be about you getting fresh air, Kang Seulgi!”

“It’s not like I’m not breathing in the oxygen of the outdoors, and I haven’t gotten to check my stuff yet!” Seulgi protests defensively, motioning to her gray crutches in annoyance.. “I spent all of yesterday afternoon trying to stand and hop around on my crutches, and all of this morning becoming more mobile with them. Plus, I still have to go hobble all the way back up to my hospital room! It was stressful and strenuous, Irene! At least give me this!”

Irene grumbles but doesn’t retort, muttering something under her breath that sounds suspiciously like  _ what, so your phone is more entertaining than me? _

Seulgi rolls her eyes at the childish older woman, tapping open Twitter.

**@ofcwendy: tbt the time when @sringles and i went cliff diving**

**@sringles: @ofcwendy that was fun lol**

**@ofcwendy: @sringles for you and not so much for me :/ sometimes i have phantom pains on my butt from the impact against the water**

**@sringles: @ofcwendy you should go cliff diving with @artisteunji sometime**

**@ofcwendy: @sringles WHAT ON EARTH DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING?????**

**@naeunnie: @sringles @ofcwendy i wish you were here seul, wendy’s face is so red** **ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ**

**@artisteunji: @sringles @naeunnie @ofcwendy awwww but she’s so cute <3**

**@ofcwendy: @artsisteunji @sringles @naeunnie EUNJI YOU DIDN’T NEED TO TWEET A PICTURE OF ME**

At Seulgi’s laugh, Irene leans over, peeking over Seulgi’s shoulder and down at her phone.

“Wendy sure is a character,” she giggles, and Seulgi hums in agreement. “You two are best friends, right?”

“Yeah, how’d you know?”

“I’m a fan of our Women’s National Team,” Irene says it like talking with a National Team player casually in the garden of a hospital is the most normal thing in the world. “I’ve watched the interviews and behind the scenes videos on YouTube.”

“Who’s your favorite player?” Seulgi tries to ask nonchalantly, and Irene smirks.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” the therapist says with a Cheshire Cat grin. “Are you sure you want me to tell you?”

“Well fine,”Seulgi huffs, turning back to her phone, mumbling  _ just don’t tell me then, _ under her breath, and Irene laughs, loud and clear, the sound resounding through the air and rising up into the clear, midday sky. 

\--

**One week post-injury**

Saturday morning comes, and Seulgi feels like utter shit.

Sure, she’s finally being dismissed from her claustrophobia-inducing hospital room, but her leg is still sore, and there’s a sickening feeling pooling in the base of her stomach.

It had been hell enough to try to learn to navigate using her crutches, and she had hardly even been putting weight on her leg. How the hell was she supposed to learn how to walk when simply flexing her muscles made her ache for hours?

She shouldn’t be surprised that it’s Irene who volunteered to pick her up. Her teammates still have Saturday morning practice, and there’s no one else really available (well, Solar had volunteered, but Irene stepped in, saying that Solar might be needed in an emergency.)

The weight of it all doesn’t really sink in until Seulgi’s exited the passenger seat of Irene’s car, showing the older girl the way into her apartment building, and they have to actually wait for the elevator. For the past few years, ever since she and Wendy had moved in, Seulgi and her roommate would race up the stairs each day without fail.

She can’t do that anymore. She has barely done anything today and she’s already tired.

The mere thought of never feeling the satisfying burn of taut muscle from a good run leaves Seulgi fighting back tears in the elevator, her sweating hands clenches around the handles of her crutches.

Irene doesn’t say anything about the tears, but she definitely notices, and the older girl steps closer to Seulgi, who’s huddle in the corner of the elevator, and simply presses against her, the lengths of their bodies touching.

“You’re feeling tired,” she says instead, and Seulgi hiccups but nods into her shoulder. “We’ll get you upstairs, and you can take a nap on an actual bed.”

“Will you stay?”

“Do you want me to stay?”

A pause, then another wet bob of Seulgi’s head.

“Then I’ll stay.” The elevator dings open, and Irene gently ushers Seulgi out. “I’ll wake you up when it gets dark. I have somewhere I want to bring you.”

\--

“What are we doing here, Irene?” Seulgi asks slowly, looking at the towering soccer stadium looming over them.

“We’re going inside, and I’m going to show you something,” Irene says simply, glancing over her shoulder to the stiff girl grasping onto her crutches for dear life. She bites her lip and shakes her head slightly at the sad sight before beginning to walk towards the stadium, gesturing for Seulgi to make haste and follow.

“Isn’t this place locked?” Seulgi questions hesitantly, a feeling of dread washing over her as she and Irene approach the gates. “Don’t you have to have to be a staff member or captain to enter? And I didn’t bring my key— oh.”

The soccer player is rendered speechless as she watches Irene produce a small key from her pocket; the same type of special key that Seulgi had been given on the day she’d been appointed as team co-captain.

Seulgi’s eyes widen.

“That’s—”

“Shhh!”

Seulgi clamps her mouth shut as Irene raises a finger to her lips, winking at the younger girl playfully.

“I’ll explain a bit later okay? Let’s head in.”

\--

Seulgi finds herself sitting alone in the middle of the soccer field, being illuminated solely by two stadium lights that Irene had turned on. Meanwhile, the older girl seems to have disappeared into the locker rooms as Seulgi continues to ponder the meaning of Irene’s key.

Seulgi frowns, her mind drifting off into the depths of space as she stares at her crutches sprawled unceremoniously beside her. Irene had a key to this place. Irene had the exact same key as her. So either Irene was a staff member, or—

“Seulgi! Seulgi, watch me!”

Seulgi snaps up, staring in awe as Irene races towards the soccer ball she had set down on the left-most corner of the field, kicking it with just the perfect amount of spin that the ball arches horizontally in a half-circle, bending beautifully in midair and sailing straight into the back of the goal directly to the left of Irene.

“Whoa…” Seulgi breathes, the sound more airy than she had intended. The goal that Irene had just scored had been done with a level of technique and flow that Seulgi had never bore witness to before, even amongst her most skilled teammates. The precision in that single kick looked effortless, which was amazing in itself; Irene didn't even look like she was trying.

“Did you just—” Seulgi sputters as Irene comes near with a smirk on her face. “And with your left foot?”

“Remember when I told you that I used to play soccer too?” Irene says, reaching out to help Seulgi stand with her crutches. “Fun fact: I had worked so hard on improving my ability to dribble and score with both of my feet that it got to the point where I know longer could tell which of my feet was my dominant.”

It takes a moment for Seulgi to digest the meaning of Irene's words.

“You weren't just some recreational, high school varsity team soccer player, were you.” It's a statement.

Irene laughs, leading them into the locker rooms. “No, I wasn't.”

“Irene, how do you have a key to this place?”

“I was the captain of the Women’s National Team, though not for a long time.”

Though Seulgi had her suspicions, it doesn't make the revelation any less shocking. Her physical therapist had been the captain of the National Team, just like Seulgi. Yet how the hell had Seulgi not known about this beforehand? She'd stared at that bulletin board of all the past captains for hours, looking for something that she couldn't find, and she'd never even seen an “Irene” anywhere on that board.

But this time, when Irene tugs Seulgi over to the bulletin, the therapist is pointing at a “Bae Joohyun,” and right above that bronze plaque is a picture of a younger, beaming, blonde-haired Irene, two signed soccer balls tucked under each arm.

“You—” Seulgi inhales sharply. The date of the photo is marked 7 years ago, and Irene is twenty-eight years old according to her Twitter page, which meant that—

“You were the captain of the National Team at twenty-one-years old,” Seulgi breathes. “You were the youngest captain in our country's history. Bae Irene, my physical therapist, is Bae Joohyun, the legendary Lightning Forward. Y-you…” Seulgi finds herself shaking her head in disbelief. “I can't believe it. No one knew where you went, where you disappeared to. But here you are. You've been right in front of me this whole time.” She turns back to Irene, shock evident. “How did I not see it?”

Irene chuckles. “Well, it's not like I kept my appearance the same after I left. My blonde hair had been my signature, and that had been the first to go. My name was the second.”

“I dyed my hair blonde back then too, back when I was still in the Under 20s team,” Seulgi blurts out, her face turning a shade of red at Irene's surprised expression. “I— can you blame me? Joohyun was—  _ you _ were the nation’s sports idol back then. You won us the FIFA World Cup with that amazing three-point hat trick during the final game almost eight years ago! Eighteen-year-old Seulgi was, um—”

“Infatuated?” Irene supplies, her tone teasing.

“I—” Seulgi feels her stomach turn to mush at the adoration in Irene's gaze, and has no choice but to bite her lip and nod wordlessly.

It's worth it though, for Seulgi to watch her pretty, passionate physical therapist throw her head back in laughter, Irene's nose scrunching up in the most adorable (and admittedly rabbit-like) way.

“Seulgi, you're so cute!” Irene giggles, and Seulgi flushes.

“So why did you leave?” Seulgi asks, in a genuine attempt to change the subject.

And she almost wishes that she didn't ask, because the laughter dies out of Irene's face, and the light seems to drain from her bright, bright eyes. 

“I-I'm sorry! You don't have to tell me—”

“No, silly,” Irene interjects, a shadow of a smile on her lips. “That's the very reason why I brought you here. Because I have some explaining to do. Seulgi, do you remember the last game that I — that Bae Joohyun — ever played?”

“Of course,” Seulgi whispers, wracking her brain for the memory. It all makes sense now. “I had been at that game, in the stands. You… you were shoved into the metal of the goalpost… the other team, they…” Seulgi can’t bring herself to complete the sentence, but she remembers. She remembers the piercing scream that echoed throughout the stadium, silencing the crowds and sending shivers down the backs of every single person in the arena. 

“They broke my leg,” Irene finishes, and there’s an unreadable look in her eyes. “They shattered it.” She shudders. “And I was lucky that it was only my leg, and not… anything more important.”

Seulgi finds herself inching closer to the older girl as goosebumps rise on the surface or her skin.

“After that, well,” Irene frowns, leaning back onto a wall and staring up blankly at the ceiling. “At first, I wanted to get back into soccer, I really did. But… the media thought otherwise. It was my fault that our team lost that match and we ended up in last place during the Olympics that year.” The dry laugh that leaves Irene’s lips is so  _ un-Irene _ that it makes Seulgi furrow her brow. “You have no idea how mad sports media was. And what kind of captain was I? I couldn’t even lead my team properly.”

“Are you kidding me?” Seulgi exclaims, shock evident. “You were only captain for one year, but you won us the FIFA World Cup! That’s the biggest soccer tournament in the world! How could people dismiss that because of one incident that wasn’t even your fault? They  _ broke  _ your  _ leg!” _

“And why should  _ you _ be getting hunted down by the media because  _ someone else _ shoved you to the ground, forcing you to tear your ACL?” Irene shoots back, and Seulgi flinches, taken aback. “ _ You _ are going through the same exact treatment as I did, Seulgi, and you’re reacting to it the same way I did as well.

“You’re allowing them to get into your head, Seul,” Irene says, staring Seulgi in the eye. “You’re allowing them to get ahold of you. I could’ve returned to soccer if I’d worked hard enough, but I kept pushing it off because a part of me didn’t want to. I didn’t want to face all the negative comments. Because of me, my National Team fell apart. Moonbyul was a member, did you know?”

Seulgi nods. “I think I remember that.”

“She’s the only one left,” Irene sighs. “Moonbyul is the only one who managed to last. Everyone else was replaced a few months after, when they just didn’t have the heart or the drive to improve. A new generation of soccer players emerged, and by the time I had finally recovered and found the time to sort out my feelings, two whole years had gone by, and the team didn’t need me anymore. So I never went back, and I think... that’s my biggest regret in life.”

“Damn,” Seulgi murmurs, fixated on the ground. “I didn’t know you went through all of that…”

Irene shrugs, a soft smile spreading. “It’s fine, Seul. You weren’t supposed to— nobody was. But I’m telling you all of this  _ now _ because I don’t want you making the same mistake I did. Seulgi, soccer is your passion; I can see it on your face. You can’t let people who are hidden behind a technological screen get in the way with that. You can’t let them scare you.”

“...will you help me, Irene?” Seulgi’s voice is scarce and hesitant. She’s scared, and it would be so,  _ so  _ easy to just give up. To walk away from it all. To never have to face such judgement ever again. But what would that make Seulgi in Irene’s point of view?

A coward. And Kang Seulgi is not a coward.

“Of course I will,” Irene says immediately, moving so that she can stand directly in front of Seulgi. “I’ll be with the whole way. We’ll walk the road to your recovery together.”

And  _ that’s  _ what Seulgi had been missing.

_ You are better than them, _ Wendy had said, and she had been right; Seulgi is  _ definitely _ better than those faceless idiots behind a screen. But as much as she loves Wendy, words are only words. Sure, they’re nice to hear, but that’s not what Seulgi needs. She didn’t need to hear what she already knew, she needed someone who could help her  _ prove it. _

And Irene is that person. Irene is putting her unconditional trust in Seulgi, just like so many others, but only Irene has the tools and gifts to rough it out with her. Wendy might be Seulgi’s best friend, but Irene is the single person who can weather the storm.

Irene is different.

“... I’m going to win you the Olympics,” Seulgi says, a hard, yet admirable edge to her tone. “I’m going to get my legs back, and then I’m going to lead my team to first place in FIFA. And right after that, I’m taking over the Olympics for you, Irene.”

The  _ oh _ that falls from Irene’s lips is too soft. And the look that in Irene’s eyes is too soft. And the way a hint of pink dusts onto Irene’s cheeks is too soft. Seulgi wouldn’t mind drowning in all of that softness.

“Then we start for real tomorrow,” Irene says warmly. “We’ll start from the beginning, and you’ll be back on that playing field before you know it.”

\--

“So we’ll start slow and gain momentum, okay?” Irene says to Seulgi early the next morning. “Just some simple leg lifts, quad sits, and knee extensions today. Does that sound good?”

“As long as it’ll help me recover faster, I’m all for it,” Seulgi replies earnestly, kneading the yoga mat clutched in her right hand, and Irene can’t stop the smile from spreading at that.

“I’m loving this new, revitalized Seulgi,” the therapist comments, and Seulgi beams. “Now, I want you to tell me when you feel too tired, or your knee hurts too much, alright? Pushing yourself is fine, but pushing too hard might hinder your recovery instead of improve it. I don’t want you to hurt yourself even more.”

“Will do,” Seulgi promises, allowing Irene to help lower herself into a sitting position on the ground.

“Great!” Irene claps enthusiastically. “Let’s begin!”

\--

Seulgi doesn’t have her legs back yet— not entirely. But after a hard day full of stretches and leg lifts, and heel slides and hamstring stretches, just seeing the glowing way that Irene regards her in all of her sweaty glory makes Seulgi feel like she’s soaring.

\--

“You know,” Seulgi remarks a week later, sprawled out on the ground a few days later, breathing heavily after doing yet another set of wall sits. “I think my teammates are rather lucky to be out there on the playing field, running laps, because there is  _ absolutely no way _ that they would rather be doing this!”

Irene giggles at her patient’s distress. “Well, good thing it’s only you, right?”

“Yeah,” Seulgi groans, closing her eyes. “Good thing.”

“So I’m guessing you’d rather just lie on the ground instead of use your phone?”

Seulgi’s sits up straight at that, stretching out an eager hand at Irene and making grabby motions.

“Nope! I’m up! Phone please?”

Shaking her head, Irene smiles but carefully passes Seulgi her phone, and the soccer player immediately goes back to lying down on the ground, her phone held above her face.

“Seulgi!” Irene exclaims with a frown, hands on her hips.

“ _ Fine,  _ I’ll sit up.” Pouting, Seulgi pushes herself into a sitting position again, pulling herself over to sit next to where Irene is standing against her office wall. The older girl slides down the wall and makes herself comfortable, allowing their arms to brush against each other.

**@DEunA: @sringles remember how you texted me congratulations for scoring a goal at the game against Sweden yesterday?**

**@sringles: @DEunA yah ofc it was a masterpiece of a goal. Why?**

**@DEunA: so @jendeukkie hugged me right after the goal and just saying, she’s not good at victory hugs**

**@sringles: @DEunA see!!! You can’t replace me as the best victory hugger**

**@jendeukkie: @DEunA @sringles Excuse me??? Wow Eunae I’m hurt TT**

**@DEunA: @jendeukkie @sringles but you’re even better at rapping jennie, so it’s okay! Let’s have a rap battle soon!**

**@jendeukkie: @DEunA @sringles Yes!!!!! And hah! Take that Cap! Jisoo loves my hugs anyways**

**@sringles: @jendeukkie @DEunA wahhhhh no more victory hugs for you, Kim Jennie**

**@jendeukkie: @sringles @DEunA Wait! Cap! I’m sorry! Nooooo i want the victory hugsssss**

“And  _ this  _ is why people keep speculating about your relationships with your teammates,” Irene concludes, observing how Seulgi grins and taps out a tweet in response.

Seulgi snorts. “According to rumors, I’ve dated over half of the team at this point.”

“Let’s count,” Irene suggests, holding out a hand to count on her fingers. “So there’s Eunae, obviously. And then Wendy, and YooA, and Krystal… oh, and Moonbyul too, especially before she and Solar got married—”

“There were still rumors even when Moonbyul was parading around with her big diamond engagement ring and Solar on her right arm!” Seulgi moans in frustration. “Honestly, you’d think the media would have a bit more restraint.” She pauses, a contemplative look on her face. “Hey, Irene? What about you? Did you find anyone in the seven years since your injury?”

“Nope,” Irene admonishes, popping the ‘p’. “No one caught my attention.”

She says nothing more, and Seulgi shrugs, more than happy to drop the subject. She doesn’t know why she asked anyway.

\--

**One month post-injury**

“Irene, look! I’m walking without my crutches!” Seulgi shouts excitedly, waving her arms animatedly through the air as she shakily but steadily makes her way across the office’s wooden floor to where Irene is waiting for her with open arms.

“You made it!” Irene cheers, pulling Seulgi into an embrace when the soccer player draws near. “You really did it! See, I told you that Solar wasn’t kidding when she said that you’d be back on your own two feet within a month!” 

Seulgi flushes at the contact, not usually being big on skinship, but she doesn’t draw away because truthfully, a hug is just what she needs at a time like this. 

“I didn’t give Solar enough credit,” she admits bashfully. “She’s an amazing surgeon. It’s just, uh, sometimes easy to forget that little fact when she’s joking around with Byul.”

Irene giggles, nudging Seulgi comfortingly. “Don’t worry, I completely understand. I still do a double-take everytime I run into Solar wearing her doctor’s coat at the hospital.”

Seulgi sighs happily, bouncing on the balls of her feet and cracking her knuckles. “I’m just so happy that I can walk again!”

“And soon, you’ll be running,” Irene replies encouragingly, and Seulgi nods in agreement. “We’ve just got to keep working. Today, let’s just take an easy stroll through the park and get you used to those legs of yours again. I can teach you some leg strengthening exercises tomorrow.”

“Sounds like a plan!” Seulgi exclaims, a little too excited at the prospect of an easier day, especially considering the amount of exertion Irene had been putting her through prior. “Should I bring my crutches in case, or…?”

Irene tilts her head. “Do you think you’ll need them?”

“... Nah,” Seulgi is quick to shake her head. “I think I can make it without them, and I don’t want to be dependent on them anymore. Besides, if I need help, you’ll be there, right?”

“Exactly,” Irene smiles. “Shall we head out?”

“Mmhm! Let’s go!”

\--

Even with her legs back, things don’t exactly get easier; Irene makes sure of that. There’s always some new exercise to keep Seulgi on her toes. But if there  _ is _ something, there’s Irene.

Irene in all of her compassionate, caring glory, who doesn’t mind driving all the way to Seulgi and Wendy’s shared apartment, plucking out the spare key from under the welcome mat, and coaxing Seulgi out of bed on those days when the young soccer player seems to just hit a slump.

Irene, who pushes Seulgi to try harder; who doesn’t feel ashamed to remind Seulgi of her promise of taking over the Olympics for Irene.

Irene, who Seulgi finds herself growing closer and closer to each and every day.

Seulgi wonders how she’d ever manage without someone like Irene.

\--

**Two months post-injury**

“Irene, smile!”

Irene blinks, mouth full of ice cream, as Seulgi’s phone light flashes and a  _ click _ is heard from the thin device.

“Seul, did you just take a picture of me?”

“Yup!” Seulgi beams, her own ice cream cone in one hand, and opening up her phone’s gallery with the other in order to examine the picture she’d just taken of the physical therapist. “Yup,” she says again, “This picture is definitely going on Twitter.”

“What?!” Irene squeaks, nearly dropping her ice cream. Thankfully, she balances herself out in the nick of time, biting her lip as she looks at Seulgi bashfully. “I-I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?” Seulgi puffs out her cheeks, looking ever-so-distant from the charismatic, terrifying captain of the National Team the world had gotten to know. “It’s my first official break from a packed schedule of recovery training! And this is the first time I’ve seen you outside of either professional clothes or exercise wear! I mean, c’mon, Irene! You’re wearing an off-shoulder dress and sandals and you look beautiful!”

Irene blushes. “Thanks Seul…”

“And if you’re worried about people seeing your face and recognizing you, don’t worry!” Seulgi continues rambling, trying to get her mind off her slight slip of tongue. “It’s a close up! I only got the top half of your face in the picture  anyway, see? The rest is being covered up by your ice cream cone.”

Irene has to admit that Seulgi’s correct. That, and she’s also a strikingly good photographer. But to the average person glancing at the photo, Irene looks just like any other Korean girl.

“Okay,” the therapist relents with a sigh that quickly turns into an affectionate giggle as Seulgi fist pumps eagerly.

“Yes!” Seulgi cheers. “Can I tag you?”

“I-I suppose so?” Irene tilts her head adorably, and Seulgi wants to swoon. “What are you going to caption it as?”

“Oh, you’ll see.”

**@sringles: It’s so tasty~ Come and chase me~ with the one and only @baerene <3**

“Seulgi!” Irene hits her shoulder with a yelp. “What even is that caption? And was the heart  _ really _ necessary?

“Yes,” Seulgi tells her, dead serious for a split second before dropping the act and winking at the older girl. “‘Cause you’re my favorite physical therapist ever.”

“I’m your  _ only _ physical therapist,” Irene replies.

“Let’s hope it stays that way,” Seulgi chuckles, and thirty seconds later, the floodgates are wide open. The two girls watch in awe as replies crash into Seulgi’s Twitter timeline faster than they can read them. Inside her pocket, Irene’s phone begins to buzz uncontrollably.

“Shoot,” Irene frowns, pulling out the device and hastily opening her settings. “I forgot to turn off notifications… better do that before the app crashes…”

Seulgi bursts out laughing, scrolling through all of the comments. “While you’re on there, you should totally check out some of these replies. People are going out of their minds!”

**@immoonstar: @sringles @baerene oh, so is THIS why you two didn’t want to hang out with Solar and I today???**

**@sringles: @immoonstar @baerene Ice cream, Byul!!! ICE. CREAM.**

**@parksootan: @sringles @baerene Seul, how on earth are you so lucky**

**@sringles: @parksootan @baerene Joy, I tore my ACL**

**@baerene: @sringles @parksootan you got to meet me, Seul, so I guess you’re the luckiest person on earth now**

**@parksootan: @baerene @sringles she’s witty too! Ooooh Seul I wanna meet Irene!!!!**

**@sringles: @parksootan @baerene uhhhh maybe some other day**

“Aw, Seul, you should introduce us,” Irene says teasingly, taking a quick lick from her ice cream before it gets the chance to melt. “I want to become acquainted with Joy too!”

Seulgi groans. “Yeah, right. I get the feeling that when that day comes, I might not survive to see the next morning. Anyways, there’s a whole lot of fans freaking out right now, thinking I’m on a date, and I feel like teasing them a little, so come and help me.”

\--

**Near three months post-injury**

“I’m so proud of you,” Irene says out of nowhere one night, as they’re putting away the yoga mats in the PT gym area.

“I- what?” Seulgi does a double take.

Irene smiles gently. “You’ve come so far in only three months, Seul. You were so scared and hesitant in the beginning, but look at you now! You’re walking, running, and even doing yoga with me now. Your muscle and flexibility has come back, and you’re almost ready to go back to kicking soccer balls.” It’s stunning, actually, how warm Irene’s gaze is.

“I’m just so,  _ so _ proud.”

Seulgi scratches the back of her neck sheepishly. “It definitely has been easy… and I still fall into slumps every once in awhile.”

“But you’ve never let them keep you down,” Irene reminds her. “Even if it comes to the point where I have to come get you, you’re still right here, with me, at the end of the day”

“All thanks to you,” Seulgi says softly, her tone featherlight. “I couldn’t have done any of this without you, Irene.”

“We’re doing this together,” Irene replies, and Seulgi nods.

“Right. Together. I don’t think I ever told you this, Irene, but I really,  _ really  _ liked the sound of that. Especially the first time you made that promise to me.”

_ No more doubting. _

\--

**Three-and-a-half months post-injury**

“I can’t believe I never asked you this,” Seulgi says, picking at the salad in front of her half-heartedly as she tries to distract her therapist momentarily. Irene had insisted that she eat healthy, and she’d just finished her sandwich, but now it was onto the salad and Seulgi  _ despises _ vegetables. “But how did Moonbyul find you after you sort of faded from the soccer world?”

“Oh, that’s right,” Irene muses, placing a thoughtful finger on her chin. “Moonbyul was the one who recommended me, right? I completely forgot about that.”

“She had your card and gave it to me,” Seulgi recalls before pausing. “Well, she gave it to me, and I handed it off to Coach Kwon.”

“Let’s see,” Irene begins. “For starters, Solar and I have been best friends for years now. Naturally, I’m one of the first people she tells whenever she gets into a relationship. Two years ago, Solar called me up and asked if I could come out for dinner to meet her new girlfriend— Solar would  _ not _ shut up about how great the first date had been, by the way. But for some reason, I’d never caught onto her new flame’s name.”

Seulgi snickers. “Oh no.”

“And so I show up to dinner and what’s this?” The therapist chuckles. “Sitting right next to my best friend is Moon Byulyi, my old teammate from the National Team! I think she recognized me immediately. Back when I’d been captain, Byul and I had been pretty good friends, given how we’d been the only two members close in age.” Irene rakes a hand through her hair, a grin splitting her face. “I’d left the restaurant with Byul’s number in my phone after she demanded my card and stated that if she ever got into trouble, she’d come to me for physical therapy.”

“And she kept that card in her bag for two whole years?” Seulgi questions, frowning but finally taking a bite of the leafy veggies when Irene raises an eyebrow and gestures to the salad. “Even after you treated her shoulder?”

“She probably just forgot about it, knowing her,” Irene giggles. “Byul’s not exactly the best at remembering things.”

“I’m right here, y’know,” Moonbyul interrupts from her spot across the cafe table, throwing a glare Irene’s way and tossing a french fry at Seulgi. It lands in her salad, and Seulgi’s about to pick it up and eat it when Irene reaches over and plucks it out, popping it into her own mouth instead. The action leaves Seulgi pouting as Moonbyul crosses her arms. “I invited you guys here to eat, and I came out to have a good time, but I’m feeling  _ really _ attacked right now.”

“It’s not like Joohyun is wrong,” Solar laughs heartily, patting Moonbyul’s shoulder in a comforting manner. “Do you want me to count how many times I’ve had to bring your lunch to practice because you forgot it back at the apartment? And how many times did I open your cannister of food to see it devoid of all things green?”

Moonbyul groans, slumping down in her seat. “Yong, there’s  _ really _ no need for you to keep giving me broccoli for lunch. I always eat it at home during dinner, and I’m very healthy so—”

“Like that’s gonna stop me from sneaking them into your rice,” Solar retorts, rolling her eyes and sharing a look with Irene. “Honestly, you’d think Byul would be grateful for the added nutrients.”

“At least Moonbyul eats vegetables at all,” Irene replies, side-eyeing Seulgi, who shrinks in place. “I’ve had to force them into Seulgi’s diet, and she only relented after I promised her that carrots, lettuce, and the like would only help her recover faster. Honestly, I don’t know how you managed beforehand, Seul!”

Seulgi feebly opens her mouth to protest, only to close it over another forkful of her salad when Irene holds up a finger that says  _ all resistance is futile. _

“Has Irene ever cooked for you, Seulgi?” Solar asks, and Seulgi shakes her head as she takes a sip of her diet soda (the only relatively unhealthy part of her meal). “You should ask her to! Irene’s a really good cook - much better than me, that’s for sure - I’m positive that you wouldn’t mind eating vegetables if you ate them as part of Irene’s cooking. She’s even gotten Moonbyul to enjoy her tomato soup.”

Seulgi swallows her drink before responding hesitantly. “You think?” She glances at Irene, who’s been staring pensively at Seulgi for the past minute. “Would you be willing?”

Irene shrugs with a small smile. “It’s worth a try. Anything to get you to eat your veggies more often.”  _ Anything for you. _

The words are unspoken, but Seulgi’s almost convinced that she can hear the silent sentence hanging in the air between them, lingering right next to Irene’s warm gaze that Seulgi just wants to fall into. Yeah, she’d definitely eat her vegetables for Irene.

\--

**Four months post-injury**

“You guys look like you’ve been doing well,” Seulgi says to Moonbyul one afternoon, resting on one of the metal sidelined benches of the National Stadium. She’d gotten bored, having no physical therapy due to Irene having to attend some convention, and Seulgi had decided to go pay her teammates a surprise visit. “Everyone’s looking amazing. Our team seems to be better than ever.”

“We are,” Moonbyul says simply, smiling proudly. She turns to look at the younger co-captain, a bright spark in her gaze. “We all fell into a slump towards the end of the season. Losing you, our backbone, was a bit too much to handle at the time. But as soon as training for the new round of World Cup qualifiers began, we were on fire! I’ve never seen a group of more hardworking girls,” Moonbyul laughs, and Seulgi smiles, glad that her older friend feels this way.

But it’s when Moonbyul’s eyes narrow, staring at the very same turf where Seulgi had been shoved down to the ground, tearing her ACL, just mere months before.

“We’re going to avenge you, Cap,” Moonbyul murmurs, nothing but raw conviction in her voice.

Seulgi smiles. Leave it to Moonbyul to always have her back. Ever since Moonbyul had been Seulgi’s captain when they were together in the National Under 20s team, Seulgi had always been looking up to the older girl. To have gotten to the point where she could be a co-captain with Moonbyul had been a dream come true. And now, to be considered one of Moonbyul’s closest friends? Simply surreal.

“Don’t call me ‘Cap,’” Seulgi says, her silent way of thanking her trusted teammate. “You’re always gonna be  _ my _ captain, Byul.”

“And you’re just as much a leader on this team as me,” Moonbyul replies nonchalantly, getting up from the metal bench and nudging a ball to her feet. “I’m gonna practice taking more shots on goal, and— oh! Look, Eunae’s taking a break. Hey, D.ana! Keep Seul company for a while, ‘kay?”

“Sounds good, Byul!” Eunae calls back to the older co-captain, striding away from the other girls practicing and sidling up to Seulgi with a smile.

“It’s great to see you here, Cap,” Eunae grins, walking up to the bench that Seulgi had been sitting on and clasping a hand onto Seulgi’s shoulder. She steps back and gives her captain a quick glance over, whistling. “A few months really makes a difference! You’re already walking without any problems,  _ and _ working up that muscle. I’m impressed. So I’m guessing that the PT is going well?”

“You have no idea,” Seulgi chuckles lowly, shaking her head. “Not going to lie, I think that Irene’s pushing me harder than any of my previous coaches have pushed me before.”

“But it looks like it’s really paying off though,” Eunae notes. “You don’t look too far off from where you were before.”

“It definitely is, though I’m still working on building my stamina back up,” Seulgi agrees. She scratches her head sheepishly, looking almost guilty. “Actually, Irene had made me promises that she could get me back out on the playing field before the national season started, and in my frustration, I had been incredibly skeptical and close-minded. But she’s brought out the best in me and more, so I suppose that I owe her an apology.”

“That sounds like the Seulgi I know,” the forward teases, and Seulgi pouts, crossing her arms.

“What’s that suppose to mean?” Seulgi asks accusingly, and Eunae laughs, patting Seulgi’s back.

“Nothing, Seul, I’m just playing,” Eunae says, something lighthearted and jesting in her tone, and Seulgi resists the urge to roll her eyes. “But really, I can’t wait to have you back on the field. You know more than anyone that I trust every single one of our girls with my life, but you and I have, uh, kinda—”

“Become a damn good team?” Seulgi quips helpfully, and Eunae chuckles but nods.

“Yeah, we’re a pretty good pair, aren’t we,” Eunae admits, and Seulgi grins.

“On the turf, at least,” Seulgi jokes.

Eunae snorts. “Oh, yeah. As soon as you’re out of your uniform and that lucky number 10 is off your back, you’re absolutely intolerable. You’re lucky that Irene tolerates you at all. She deserves some sort of award or something.”

“Shut up!” Seulgi shoves her friend. “Irene  _ loves _ me!”

“Oh, I’m  _ sure _ that she does.”

“Is that sarcasm I hear, Jo Eunae?”

“Nope. I don’t know what you’re talking about, Cap.”

\--

**Five months post-injury**

“It’s been five months since your injury, weeks since you’ve fallen into any slumps. It’s also a Saturday, and one of our official break days, and yet I’m still over at your apartment at ten o’clock in the morning, making you and Wendy breakfast,” Irene chides, casually flipping over a chocolate chip pancake.

“Your pancakes are amazing though,” is Seulgi’s muffled reply from where she’s buried her head in a cushion on the living room sofa. “Even better than Wendy’s!” She giggles. “I like how you add those large chocolate chips to make them look like soccer balls.”

“Your artistic flavor to the pancakes is amazing, and we’re eternally grateful,” Wendy chimes in from where she’s setting up four plates the table. “Seulgi, can you get over here and put out the drinks?”

Seulgi groans but forces herself to get up. “ _ Fine.” _

“You two deserve an award for putting up with Seulgi for such long periods of time,” Eunji remarks, walking into the kitchen and setting a bowl of assorted fruits into the center of the table. “How do you do it? It’s amazing.”

“Wendy’s more skilled than me,” Irene says. “You’ve known each other for ten years now?” She clicks her tongue. “Teach me your ways, Wendy! I’ve resulted to outright bribery at this point.”

“It’s true,” Seulgi admits shamelessly with a smirk. She takes a seat at the table. “We go out for dinner once a week now. But seriously Eunji, if you knew the horrors that Irene puts me through on a daily basis, you’d want to take up bribery too.”

“That makes me curious,” Eunji grins, sitting across from Seulgi and propping her head up on her elbow. “What have you been doing recently?”

“Hour-long wall sits,” Seulgi deadpans, and Eunji stiffens, a shiver running down her spine. “My thighs have never burned so much.”

Wendy’s mouth goes slack, and she whirls around to stare the angelic girl piling up pancakes in pure disbelief. She opens and closes her mouth like a fish, trying to find the words to express her astonishment. Unfortunately, everything Wendy’s trying to convey out loud gets lost the moment Irene turns to her with a sly smile and winks.

_ Well, _ the left-wing defender supposes to herself,  _ I guess there has to be  _ some _ reason why Seulgi’s been recovering at a frightening rate. I just didn’t know that it would be this… harsh? _

“So how are you and Eunji doing?” Irene asks casually— too casually.

Wendy freezes.

Eunji chokes on her juice.

Seulgi barks out a laugh upon seeing the expressions on her teammates’ faces, holding a fist out to Irene, which the older girl happily bumps in return.

“W-what are you talking about?” Eunji stammers, shooting glances at Wendy, who is rendered speechless once more.

Seulgi shares a knowing look with Irene. “Well, for one, ever since Eunji go called up to the National Team you guys have gotten suspiciously close. Number two, Wendy, you kept going over to Eunji’s place after I got injured. Three, Eunji, you—”

Two sighs of relief can be heard as Seulgi is cut off by the sound of her phone ringing, and Irene pulls a face at the interruption. Seulgi on her tirades is always amusing.

“What do you want?” Seulgi says irritably into the receiver end of her phone. “I— okay SinB, I’m sorry! No but really, what do you want.”

“Check your Twitter. This is an S.O.S. from Tzuyu, Chungha, and I.” And SinB hangs up.

“I… okay?” Seulgi stares at her call log in befuddlement.

“What was that about?” Irene asks.

“She just said to check Twitter?” Seulgi upturns her lips. “Something about an SOS and— Oh my god.”

**@lilshinb: @sringles save us look at all these *shivers* people with significant others**

**@sringles: @lilshinb yikes sorry lil sis, sorry i’m not there. I suggest leaving the poolside and beelining for the TV room. Safer there.**

**@chewytzu: @sringles @lilshinb tysm Cap u r our true savior**

**@wdykchungha: @chewytzu @sringles @lilshinb TT we miss you Seulgiiiiiiii**

“They’re at Moonbyul and Solar’s mansion!” Irene cracks up. “And look, a bunch of your teammates are there!”

“With all of their wives and girlfriends,” Wendy laughs. “And  _ this  _ is why Seulgi and I opted out of going. These types of meetings are just a lot of arguments over which significant O is better than the other.”

“Is it really that bad?” Eunji inquires. Being relatively new to the team, she’s never attended one of the gatherings at Moonbyul and Solar’s, but she knew better when Wendy had interject during the invitation, proclaiming that Eunji was going to have breakfast with her instead.

“It gets pretty scary,” Seulgi cautions,  _ tsking  _ her tongue. “Man, SinB, Tzuyu, and Chungha. Poor rookies. They didn’t know any better. The poor girls.”

“You better get back to the team to protect them then,” Irene smiles broadly.

“I can’t let my girls down,” Seulgi sighs dramatically, reclining in her seat and bringing her arms behind her head. “I’ve gotta keep going. So, how many wall sits tomorrow?”

“Five sets.”

“I better be getting sushi for this, Irene.”

“You better be thankful for that high metabolism of yours!” 

\--

**Six months post-injury**

“Let’s go!” Seulgi yells exuberantly, watching the soccer ball she just sent midair arch down in a spiral, sailing straight over Joy’s head, the tall goalie attempting to leap up and grab it, only for the ball to slip through her hands and hit the back of the net with a thud.

Meanwhile, Joy barks out a laugh, falling to her knees and resting her giant goalie gloves on the ground aimlessly.

“You really haven’t lost your touch even after six months of not even physically touching a soccer ball,” Joy chuckles, peering up at Seulgi in slightly disbelief, but really, she should’ve known better because this is  _ Seulgi _ she’s talking about. “You’re really amazing, Cap.”

Seulgi grins. Nothing like shooting goals pre-soccer practice. She and Irene had headed over to the stadium first thing in the morning, Irene having the intention of updating Coach Kwon on Seulgi’s status, and Seulgi simply wanting to kick soccer balls around. As usual, there were a few girls who had shown up before practice officially began, including Joy and Yeri,, who had happily jumped onto Seulgi when they found out that she’s recovered enough to be able to take their weight.

“Looking sharp, Seulgi!” Jennie, Seulgi’s fellow center-midfielder calls from where she and Jisoo, a defender, just exited the locker room. The slightly younger midfielder pinches her thumb and index fingers together, signalling an  _ ok _ sign Seulgi’s way, and the captain quickly sends a thumbs up back at her. 

Ever since Seulgi had gotten injured, Jennie had filled in Seulgi’s center-field position during games, and though obviously not as accustomed to the left side of the field as Seulgi, Jennie had done a pretty good job. Thankfully, Yeri had experience playing as a midfielder, so the youngest girl played on the right, next to Jennie, instead of in her typical defender position directly in front of Joy. The position swap had been a liability, but the girls had been eager to find some way to help Seulgi, even if it was simply substituting positions.

“You’re basically ready to reclaim your left center-field spot, aren’t you, Cap?” Jennie calls, grinning when Seulgi nods. The New-Zealander has missed her right side of the soccer field.

“All thanks to Irene,” Seulgi declares proudly, crossing her arms and beaming. “She’s a real miracle worker.”

“We keep hearing so much about this  _ Irene,” _ Yeri notes, heading over to Seulgi from the sidelines, Jennie, Jisoo, and Eunae in tow. The youngest member of the National Team jumps up and down excitedly. “We only got to see her that first day in the hospital! Well, and half of her face from your tweets. I wanna meet her!”

“Same, Yeri,” Eunae laughs. “With the way that Seulgi describes her, Irene must be a guardian angel.”

“Is that really what she says? Seul, I didn’t know that you had such a high opinion of me!”

With a gasp, the girls on the field all snap their attention to the beautiful therapist striding onto the turf, tailed by Coach Kwon, Moonbyul, and Wendy.

“I think you might need to see Solar to get your hearing checked, Irene,” Seulgi jokes, picking up the soccer ball that Joy had sent back at her. “I don’t know what Eunae’s talking about.”

“Sure, Kang Seulgi,” Irene says sarcastically, flicking her long, black tresses over her shoulder for good measure. She catches Seulgi’s eye, and the two girls break out laughing.

Meanwhile, her teammates share curious looks before huddling closer, eager to learn about their co-captain’s friendship with her therapist. Seulgi can almost feel their urge to question and interrogate crackle like lightning through the air, bringing an amused smile to her lips. However, she bites back a comment and instead focuses her attention on Irene in front of her.

“So?” Seulgi asks breathlessly. “Am I healthy enough to get back to playing?”

Irene snickers at the way Seulgi shifts from one foot to the other in anxiousness, and the older girl meets the eyes of Coach Kwon, nodding at the National Team Coach.

“Yes, I think so.”

“YES!” Seulgi shouts pumping her fist into the air jovially, followed by the cheers of her fellow present teammates. Spinning around Seulgi laughs, spreading her arms out wide, “I’m back guys! I’m back, and you guys are doing great, so we’ll totally  _ destroy  _ those upcoming World Cup qualifiers like— wait.”

There’s an abrupt wave of silence that crashes over the celebration the moment Seulgi abruptly controls herself, a frown on her face.

“Hold up a second.”

Irene steps closer, concern etched in the way her forehead creases. “Seul? Is something wrong?”

“Does this mean that I won’t be seeing you anymore?” Seulgi’s words are awfully timid, like she doesn’t want to know the answer. Around her, Seulgi’s teammates watch on in rapt silence, and Seulgi thinks that it would be rather nice for the ground to swallow her up whole just about now, especially with the way that Moonbyul is smirking at her from behind Irene’s back.

A warm sort of surprise washes over Irene, from the tips of her ears to the bottom of her toes. And Seulgi looks adorable, scruffing the toe of her new cleats (Irene had given them to Seulgi herself as a gift for all of the younger girl’s hard work) into the turf floor, peeking at Irene hesitantly through her eyelashes.

“Well,” Irene says carefully. “There’s always the weekly check-ins. I still need to see how you’re doing every once in awhile.”

This only serves to deepen Seulgi’s frown. 

“Only once a week?”

Irene giggles at the sad-puppy expression. “Or more than that, if you’d like. Seul, I’m technically assigned to you for at least nine months, meaning that you have three more to go. Everything is up to you. If you want to meet up more often, then we can.”

“I don’t want to take you away from any other potential jobs though,” Seulgi mumbles, looking down at the trodden turf beneath her feet. “I don’t want you wasting anymore time with me.”

(From where she’s standing, Wendy feels her heart swell at the sight of her best friend acting like a schoolgirl with a crush on the popular senior. Too. Cute.)

Irene puffs her cheeks in mild frustration. “You’re acting like I don’t want you around.”

“I-I,” Seulgi stammers, and giggles arise from the crowd of female soccer players around them. “I-  _ Do _ you want me around?”

Irene shrugs, pink tingting her cheek. “I never said that I didn’t. I mean, I’m sure that I can find something productive for you to do.”

Shockingly enough, it’s Coach Kwon who interrupts next.

“How about you take a little break from your job as a physical therapist?”

Cocking her head in confusion, Irene regards Coach Kwon with interest. “A break?”

“A pseudo-break,” The older woman chuckles before further explaining. “Not from working or anything, just from being a therapist. Instead, you could coach Seulgi in soccer. Heck, you could co-coach the other girls too, with me. It can be unofficial stuff so you don’t have to get involved with the logistics of the League — y’know, our little secret — and I’d love for some help with these rascals.”

“Oh!” Seulgi brightens. “That’s a great idea!”

“Think of it as babysitting adults with the consciences of five-year-olds,” Coach Kwon continues.

“Hey!” Wendy protests, almost half-heartedly as if she’s trying to convince  _ herself _ . “We’re not  _ that  _ bad.”

“I, uh,” Irene stutters nervously at the sets of inquiring eyes lasering in on her small form. “Am I even qualified for that?”

“ _ Irene, _ ” Moonbyul laughs, emphasizing the therapist’s pseudonym. “If being the FIFA World Cup-winning captain of our nation’s Women’s National Team doesn’t make you qualified for a little unofficial co-coaching stint, I don’t know what is.”

“The youngest captain to lead a team to first place in history!” Seulgi adds, and Irene flushes, lightly shoving the slightly taller girl.

“You keep going on about that, Seul. It’s not that special, and—”

“Wait just a second!” Joy holds up a hand, eyes wide. “ _ We,” _ she gestures wildly to her equally-as-confused fellow teammates, “are  _ clearly _ missing something in the equation here! Explain. Now.”

“You’re not that good at math, are you, Sooyoung- _ ie,” _ Wendy teases, and Joy sticks out her tongue, crossing her arms.

Yeri simply narrows her eyes, stepping into the small clearing and walking straight up to Irene, who does nothing but smile, completely entertained as the youngest girl stalks her in circles, trying to come to reasonable conclusions.

“Captain of the National Team…” Yeri mutters under her breath. “Won the FIFA World Cup…” And then it hits. And Yeri’s jaw goes slack. 

“Oh my God. You’re Bae Joohyun.”

Utter silence.

And then Chaos beholds itself onto the world—

—Otherwise known as Park Sooyoung.

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?”

\--

“You didn’t feel that you should’ve told us, your  _ National Team teammates,  _ that your  _ physical therapist _ is the legendary forward, Bae Joohyun?” Eunae actually sounds like she’s been offended. “Seul, she was - and still is - my  _ idol. _ And you told  _ Wendy _ before the rest of us?” Wendy lets out a strangled sound of protest. “Sorry Wendy, I still love you though. But I feel betrayed.”

“We  _ all _ feel betrayed,” Jisoo huffs, nudging Jennie’s side with the back of her hand. “Right Jennie?”

“Uh, yeah…”

Oddly enough, the midfielder looks strangely dazed, staring blankly down into nothing.

“Jennie- _ ssi? _ Are you okay?”

The simple question is enough to snap Jennie back to the present, and her eyes raise to meet Irene’s own gentle brown orbs.

Seulgi raises her eyebrows in utmost interest as she observes the way her fellow midfielder quickly gets red in embarrassment at the sudden attention. She’s certainly never seen Jennie act like this before, and judging by the affronted expression on Jisoo’s face, Jennie’s partner-in-crime never has either.  _ Well, this is interesting. _

“Uh, yeah, I’m fine,” Jennie says under her breath, and Jisoo’s jaw might as well have hit the turf.

“Oooh,” Joy snickers, pulling Yeri close to her so that she can rest her chin on the smaller girl’s shoulder. Yeri, ever the quick-minded individual, lets out a short cackle as Joy smirks. “Trouble in paradise, Miss Kim Jennie?”

“Didn’t you go through a blonde-haired phase too, Jennie?” Yeri questions innocently, sneakily high-fiving Joy after delivering the line.

“I have no idea what you’re referring to,” is Jennie’s curt response, though her annoyance at the remark is clearly extended and amplified into her searing glare sent in Joy and Yeri’s direction.

And as Joy raises her arms in alleged surrender and Yeri throws up a peace sign, Irene regards the whole exchange with unabashed, warranted amusement twinkling in her eyes.

“I’m starting to second-guess this whole coaching thing,” Seulgi murmurs low into Irene’s ear as the others continue to bicker.

Irene giggles. “I thought that you wanted me here.”

“Yeah, but,” Seulgi frowns. “Now I’ll have to share you.”

_ Ah, there’s that warmth again. _ Irene feels her heart start to race, her stomach buzzing like a thousand hummingbirds have spontaneously burst into the small area, fluttering around, beating their wings at over 60 miles per hour. It only gets worse when she realizes how close Seulgi is standing behind her; she can practically feel the younger girl’s breath on her neck. And suddenly Irene’s way too aware of the casual way that Seulgi has slung an arm over her shoulder— an action that had become so familiar when they took breaks from Seulgi’s sessions.

“I don’t have to take the proposal if you don’t want me to,” Irene says lightly.

Seulgi shakes her head. “No, no you coaching us would definitely benefit the team. Plus,” Seulgi gives a small smile, “I can tell that you want to.”

“Then a compromise,” Irene reasons smoothly. “Let’s go for runs in the mornings. Just the two of us. We can meet at my place, jog to these practices, and then head home together afterwards. Maybe we can even get food or something. How does that sound?”

Seulgi has to bite her lip to stop herself from smile so hard, ecstasy nearly getting the better of her to the point where she almost forgets to nod her head.

“That sounds great. I’d love that, Irene!”

\--

“We’re heading out now!” Seulgi calls, having just changed out of her sweaty practice clothes and standing by the locker room door with Irene. She’d been allowed to participate in the usual practice for the first time in months, and all of her teammates had been utterly ecstatic, especially at how Seulgi didn’t seem to be missing any of her previous skills. 

Their co-captain is back and there to stay.

Irene’s split-second decision to help coach was the second fangirl-scream-inducing moment of the day.

(“They listen better  to you than me,” Coach Kwon had whined, standing next to Irene on the sidelines. The new co-coach had just ordered their lineup of forwards to do a few sets of sprints. “Honestly, I’ve never seen them jump at the opportunity to run so fast. I mean, Lisa’s crazy, so I can understand that, and Eunae’s just a nice kid. But Hwasa? And  _ SinB? _ Miss Bae, what on earth did you do?”

Irene throws her head back and laughs. “I may or may not be abusing this so-called ‘legendary’ status that I’ve seemed to contract, Coach Kwon.”)

Seulgi’s announcement of departure garnered a chorus of “Bye, Seulgi!” and “Have a nice day, Irene! Thanks for helping us out!”

And best of all—

“Jennie thinks you’re really pretty, Irene!!”

“Shut _ up, _ Lisa!”

“Make me!”

“I’ll call Rosé.”

Dramatic horrified gasps arise from both Lisa and her teammates, and Seulgi quietly snickers at Irene’s look of confusion. Everyone on the team knows how thoroughly whipped Lisa is for her girlfriend.

“...You wouldn’t bring my Rosie into this.”

“Try me!”

“And,” Seulgi drawls, whisking Irene out the door, “That’s our cue to leave!”

“Rosé is that soloist singer, right?” Irene questions as she and Seulgi make their way out of the stadium. “And she’s dating Lisa?”

“Yup,” Seulgi smiles lazily, leading Irene through the glass doors and inhaling satisfyingly as a soft breeze brushes over her face. “They met at a concert that the National Team had been invited to. Lisa and Rosé hit things off pretty quickly.”

“Still a secret?”

“Of course,” Seulgi answered reasonably. “As much as the rest of us hate them having to hide their relationship, this is the best path given both of their careers.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Irene hums. Absently, she peeks down at Seulgi’s leg. “How’s your knee holding up?”

“Never been better,” Seulgi says earnestly before letting the topic drop into comfortable silence. And as they stroll back to Irene’s house, Seulgi finds herself basking in the way that Irene allows their bare arms to brush and how Irene seems to step in rhythm with her; in the way that Irene subconsciously leans in towards Seulgi.

And as she reflects on the past six months, Seulgi wonders how she had ever conceived the thought that Irene could’ve merely been another pretty face pitying Seulgi in her hardship. Looking back, it seems so ridiculous now. Irene never pitied her. Irene never had any underlying intentions. What Irene had wanted was the best for Seulgi; to spare Seulgi from having to bear through more difficulties. And to think that she had never even  _ met _ the older girl until her injury… it feels like a lifetime ago.

Walking out of that stadium with Irene puts a real, genuine smile on her face, as she purposely bumps Irene with her arm, and Irene giggles and shoves her back. Her dream isn’t over, she has a whole lifetime of milestones awaiting her, all thanks to the beautiful physical therapist beside her. And as Seulgi falls into step with Irene, she believes, believes,  _ believes. _


	2. We've Got Too Many Hopes, We've Got Too Many Dreams

**Six-and-a-half months post-injury**

It’s a simple thought, really.

Seulgi just decides rather quickly that everything involving the Korean Women’s National Team – while already amazing on its own – is just that much better with Irene involved.

Especially as she stands in an empty locker room, the other girls having left the stadium long ago, leaving Seulgi alone to stare in silence up at the famed Captain’s Bulletin Board, inspecting its contents with the utmost scrutiny, a hint of nostalgia swimming in her eyes.

Her gaze soon drifts away from the picture of her and Moonbyul beaming with their arms thrown over each other’s shoulders, taken the day Seulgi had been appointed as a co-captain— Moonbyul had been utterly ecstatic, loving the idea of having a second pair of shoulders to rely on, and Seulgi had merely been glad to have her work be recognized.

Seulgi finds her eyes darting across the bulletin board, lingering on each picture of previous esteemed captains throughout the National Team history, not quite going in any particular order. Before her and Moonbyul, there had been many others: Bada, Lee Hyori, Kim BoA, and Kim Taeyeon, to name a few.

And Bae Joohyun.

Irene.

The legendary Lightning Forward who had been Seulgi’s number one role model, back during her early days of merely playing in the Under 20s team, when she was just trying to find the perfect balance between her high school life and her dream of playing soccer.

“You’re  _ still  _ looking at that picture?”

A light, teasing tone echoes through the vacant locker room, and Seulgi pries her gaze away from the picture of a beaming, blonde Irene on the bulletin, turning to acknowledge the real-life Irene watching Seulgi from the entrance with an interested look on her face.

Seulgi bites the inside of her cheek to keep a smile from forming, shrugging wordlessly, and Irene regards her for a moment before striding forward, making her way over to stand by Seulgi’s side. Meanwhile, Seulgi shifts again to stare at captain-Irene on the bulletin once more.

“Why look at that old thing when I’m right next to you?” Irene questions, her tone delicate but the underlying meaning seeming to weigh down on Seulgi, a stark contrast to her joking tone from earlier.

Seulgi frowns, tilting her head. “I get the feeling that you’re trying to ask me something different.”

“Do I…” Irene lifts her shoulder in a half shrug, a shade of frustration coloring her face. “I don’t know… Do I not meet your expectation of the Bae Joohyun you remember from all those years ago?”

Seulgi twists her mouth at the question.  _ So that’s what she’s been worried about. _

“Of course you don’t,” Seulgi says instead, and Irene’s face falls. “You— hey!” Seulgi chuckles, reaching out to touch Irene’s chin, gently tilting her head up to meet Seulgi’s eyes. “I wasn’t done yet, silly. Irene, how could you meet my expectations when you completely surpass them?”

Irene bows her head, and this time, Seulgi lets her, a curtain of hair falling down. “You think?”

“Of course!” Seulgi exclaims, and Irene giggles. “You’ve been coaching the team and I for two whole weeks, and I can already see the difference in our skill, and in our work ethic. You’ve been teaching us that there’s always something more to improve on, even in areas that we had never looked before. And that’s amazing, Irene!”

The worry that had been swirling in Irene’s eyes fades considerably, and the older girl’s face softens. “You really think so? I’m glad.” Irene sighs, bringing a hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose before her gaze turns to the ceiling. “It’s been nothing but fun and good times ever since I started accompanying you all on these practices, and I was… well, I was wondering if I was actually doing any good.”

“Are you kidding me? In just two weeks, you’ve already changed us so much!” Seulgi laughs, and Irene feels her heart swell. “Momo and Amber are out on the field on time for practice now, and you know how they like to take their time in the locker room. SinB and Hwasa actually run sprints for you! They’re, like, the laziest forwards in the world! And don’t even get me started on Joy and Yeri. You’ve pulled off the impossible, Irene— they actually listen to you.” Seulgi runs a hand through her hair, chewing her bottom lip as she nears the end of her rant. “Hell, you’ve got me eating celery and carrot sticks during breaks. That, in itself, is a major accomplishment.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Irene’s shoulders shake with her giggles, and Seulgi’s heart throbs as she sees the older girl pull back her lips in a smile, pearly whites gleaming.

“I know I’m right,” Seulgi boasts.

Irene rolls her eyes playfully. “A bit confident there, aren’t you Miss Kang?”

“Confident enough to be able to have a escort you all the way back to your home, Miss Bae,” Seulgi replies smoothly, holding out her arm to Irene.

“Then let’s head out,” Irene smiles, swiftly taking up the offer and letting Seulgi lead them out of the stadium.

—

“Hey, Hyun?” Seulgi calls, sitting on the bench as Irene makes her way over to her with two ice cream cones. (It’s a Friday, and which means that the ice cream truck stops by on their usual route home. “Which means that we get ice cream every Friday,” Seulgi had insisted the week prior.)

Irene perks up at the nickname. She’d accidentally let it slip during one of their daily walks back to her place that she used to be called “Hyun” by her friends and colleagues, but after making the decision to officially go by “Irene,” the nickname sort of evaporated, along with the idea of Bae Joohyun.

Seulgi, thinking that it was cute, had decided to take up the mantle of calling Irene “Hyun,” at least in private.

“Yeah?” Irene hands Seulgi the ice cream cone. “What’s up, Seul?”

_ Seul and Hyun, _ Seulgi smiles to herself.  _ I like that. _

“You can’t let Jennie call you ‘Hyun.’” Seulgi says, the sound of her voice low and urgent, as if the subject of Irene’s nickname is of High Importance.

Irene blinks. Well, that was random.

“Why not?” She asks, and Seulgi pouts.

“Because that’s  _ my  _ nickname for you,” Seulgi tries to sound patient, but she can’t stop a little whine from coming through. “And while I’m fine with sharing you with the whole team, there’s some stuff that I’d prefer to keep away from the rest of them too. Including Jennie. So, therefore, no one else can call you ‘Hyun.’” Seulgi declares the decision as Final with the crossing of her arms.

Irene chuckles. “Okay, Seul. Jennie can’t call me ‘Hyun,’” she relents.

“Yes!” Seulgi cheers, earning strange looks from pedestrians passing by their bench.

“She already has another nickname for me, anyways.”

“Wait,  _ what?” _

Irene claps her hands in glee, laughing as Seulgi stares blankly at her, slack-jawed.

“Jennie calls me ‘Rene-unnie,’” Irene explains, and Seulgi immediately clenches her jaw.

“So she  _ is _ making moves on you,” Seulgi says through grit teeth.

Irene looks conflicted. “I wouldn’t call it making moves...?”

“Regardless of what it is,” Seulgi sighs. “She likes you.”

“If it makes you feel any better, she started calling me that today,” Irene offers, feeling awfully guilty at the way Seulgi’s good mood had been crushed just like that. Maybe she shouldn’t have said anything, but how could she hide anything from Seulgi? “You’ve been calling me ‘Hyun’ for a week now.”

“Still,” Seulgi groans, her spirits not being lifted in the slightest. “She’s catching up, and I don’t know how I feel about this.”

“I—” Irene furrows her brow, trying to process everything that had just been implied in Seulgi’s words. “Seulgi, I don’t—”

“Can we just drop the subject for now?” Seulgi interjects, suddenly getting quiet. She shoots Irene a sheepish, apologetic smile, feeling more tired than she'd been in a surprisingly lengthy amount of time (all thanks to Irene). “I have a few thoughts to sort through. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up, but I didn’t know it would lead me to feeling like this.”

Irene nods slowly, understanding the younger girl’s need to piece things together. “Okay, that sounds fine to me.”

Seulgi’s smile turns to one of relief. “Great, thanks.” And just like that, the atmosphere is brought back up. “So what did you talk about with Coach Kwon for so long that we had to stay after the other girls left?”

“New training regimens,” Irene replies with ease. “That’s all. Definitely something you and the girls should look forward too. And you could’ve left without me, y’know!”

“And eat ice cream alone?” Seulgi gasps as if the situation had been grave. “I don’t think so, Hyun! I’d look even lonelier sitting on this bench by myself!”

—

Seulgi can’t fall asleep that night.

She tosses and turns endlessly in her bed, hands fidgeting with the sheets, eyes staring blankly at the ceiling, completely lost in thought, nothing but Irene and this current predicament running circles through her brain.

By the time she finally falls asleep, it’s already Saturday, 4AM, and she’s come up with countless excuses to tell Irene with the next morning (or later that day?) during the inevitable scolding that would come from showing up to practice with baggy, dark eyes (although Seulgi’s definitely functioned on less hours of sleep before).

—

“Seulgi!” Irene reprimands when Seulgi shows up at her doorstep mid-yawn. “What did I tell you about staying up late?”

“I tried to sleep!” Seulgi protests, all excuses she’d thought up fleeing the confines of her mind right as she needs them.  _ Heol, and I put so much effort into those too… _

“I did, really! I just had a lot to think about.”

Irene sighs, giving her friend yet another look over. “Are you sure you’re okay? You haven’t fallen into another slump, have you?”

Seulgi shakes her head fervently, and Irene visibly relaxes at the honest refusal. “No! No, definitely not. You know that I’d—” Seulgi drops her voice low. “I’d have called you first thing if that was the case, I promise, Irene. I trust you about that kind of stuff. This was about the subject that I asked you to drop yesterday.”

Understanding washes over Irene in waves. “Ah, I see.” There’s a bit of hesitance. “Did you come to conclusions?”

“Yup!” Seulgi chirps in reply.

Irene blinks.

“Well, are you going to tell me?”

“Hmmm,” Seulgi hums thoughtfully, tapping her chin. “Not right now. Later today. I have something to do first.”

As Irene steps out of her apartment, ready to walk to the stadium with Seulgi, she glances sideways at the tired, but eager young soccer player. What has gotten into her? What had changed literally overnight?

She tightens her lips.

_ Something tells me that practice is going to be interesting today. _

_ — _

“Or not,” Irene muses to herself hours later, watching the girls split themselves up into two teams, getting ready for a mock game amongst themselves. It’s almost the end of practice, and Seulgi has yet to do something. Maybe Irene was wrong.

Every practice ends with a mock game, better known as a ‘scrimmage,’ with the girls randomly dividing behind their two captains to play a match. This is Irene’s favorite part of coaching— watching the different combinations of players is simply fascinating, because while all the girls work amazingly together on the field, some just work exceptionally well together in various aspects.

For example, the quick-thinking duo of Joy and Yeri have the ability to virtually demolish opposing strikers with their dynamic. Irene’s noticed something funny about the defenders on the National Team: there’s the general consensus that Joy Is Right. Anything that Joy calls out to her defenders from her goalie box is automatically right. Yeri takes that mentality to a whole different level. Years of playing as Joy’s go-to centerback defender have caused her to gain a sort of sixth-sense when it comes to understanding Joy’s thinking— the older girl doesn’t even have to call an order out, Yeri just  _ knows. _

Seulgi and Eunae have excellent chemistry. Being a power-driven forward, Eunae knows just how to work with every single ball Seulgi can send her way from midfield— there’s a very good reason why Seulgi holds the record number of assists on the team. There’s a mutual trust there that the girls themselves acknowledge.

On the topic of trust, Jennie and Jisoo display an incredible amount of it with their teamplay, with Jennie trusting Jisoo to gain the upper-hand with her incredible speed on the defensive side; Jennie being able to strategize and think as Jisoo regains the ball from her opponents, sending it Jennie’s way to midfield as soon as it’s recovered.

The combinations are endless.

Jennie and Seulgi, though.  _ That _ is a fascinating combination. Because it’s not like they don’t work well together, they do. Incredibly well, in fact— Seulgi as a right-center midfielder, and Jennie as the left-center. Seulgi focuses mainly on weaving her way towards the opponent’s goal, while Jennie figures out how to keep the ball out of their half of the field.

But when they’re on opposite teams?  _ That  _ is a true sight to behold, without a doubt.

Especially today, apparently.

Irene gapes at the standoff happening at centerfield as Coach Kwon throws her head back in laughter.

“Oh, Joohyun!” The older woman cracks up, clapping her hands in amusement. “You’ve really done it this time!”

“I’m still trying to figure out what I did,” is all Irene says, shaking her head in disbelief.

_ Forget what I thought about today being normal. _

—

Seulgi and Jennie are nothing but smirks, squaring each other up in the from opposite sides of the centerline, arms crossed, heads held high, their eyes leveled, steadily assessing each other, and really, it’s a magnificent sight to behold.

Around them, their teammates shift in place excitedly. This was a confrontation that they'd been looking forward to.

“It appears we’ve come to an impasse,” Seulgi jokes lightly, her tone relaxed but her body-language saying otherwise. “You’re not exactly subtle, Jennie,” she teases.

Jennie laughs, shaking her head. “Subtlety never really was my strong point, and it surely isn’t yours either, Cap.”

“Never said it was,” Seulgi agrees easily.

Behind her, Yeri snorts, muttering, “Oh, you can say that again,” before being violently elbowed in the ribs by Wendy. She groans, clutching her rib and glaring daggers at Wendy, who grins at her cheekily.

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes at her younger friend, Seulgi wills herself the confidence of her bravado to keep herself steady.

“So since neither of us are good at subtlety,” Seulgi continues, “How about we just address the elephant in the room?”

“More like the rabbit,” Lisa says under her breath, standing a few steps to the right of Jennie. Moments later, the tall girl pretends to gag, finding herself in Moonbyul’s chokehold.

Jennie sighs at her friend’s antics, still refusing to take her eyes off of Seulgi. “So, we both like Rene- _ unnie,  _ don’t we, Cap.” It’s a statement.

Seulgi nods, suddenly looking infinitely more somber. “Looks like it.”

“And what are we going to do about it?” Jennie questions, her smirk dropping at the lingering truth.

“It’s not like she’s some bargaining piece or something to bet,” Seulgi replies, and a small smile appears as she sees Jennie fervently nodding in agreement. “And I don’t plan on going up to her and making her choose. I mean,” Seulgi pulls a disgusted face that is quickly mirrored on Jennie’s own, the younger girl showing an equal amount of distaste for that option. “That’s an awful idea.”

“Yeah,” Jennie sticks out in tongue in revulsion. “Definitely  _ not _ going to happen.”

“So we go with something simple,” Seulgi offers. “Simple competition, no sabotage, a fair chance for both of us.”

Jennie regards Seulgi with interest. “That sounds reasonable. And it’s not like either of us are guaranteed a real shot with her in the first place.”

“Exactly,” Seulgi presses. “In the end, it’s still Irene’s decision. She’s not obligated to choose either of us at all.”

The younger midfielder takes her time nodding. “And everything we’ve accomplished up until now still stands.”

“Are you sure?” Seulgi looks at Jennie in shock. “Irene and I—”

“It’s unrealistic to ask you to stop walking home with Rene- _ unnie, _ ” Jennie chuckles with a smile. “And I can’t ask you not to go to those check-ins. Not to mention how I doubt Irene would want to skip out on something like those Friday ice cream cones I saw on your Twitter.” If she looks bothered, Jennie doesn’t show it. “Don’t worry about me, Cap, I’m doing fine on my own; no need to create liabilities.”

“If you say so,” Seulgi agrees before quickly adding, “And by no sabotage, I also mean no sabotage from our  _ lovely _ teammates, or anyone else who gets involved in whatever supposed-failproof plans we manage to concoct. Feel free to use your connections, but I don’t want to find myself locked in a bathroom or hotel room!”

“I wholeheartedly agree to this,” Jennie laughs, and shouts of a sarcastic “ _ What? Us? Never!”  _ arise from their teammates. “I don’t even want to know what trap Joy and Yeri could spring on me!”

Joy snaps her fingers, disappointed, and the sharp sound garners the attention of the other girls. “Damn, and I thought I could finally have some fun around here too! Not that I don’t love you, Jennie, but it’s been awhile since I’ve pulled any good pranks on this team.”

“Yeah,  _ good _ is a subjective word,” Wheein interjects. “Last time you pulled a prank, Park Sooyoung, I ended up with a lizard lounging on my toothbrush in the hotel bathroom during that trip to Brazil.”

“Uh, yeah, I’d prefer to stay away from all of that,” Seulgi says awkwardly.

“And what about our scrimmages during practices?” Jennie asks, a twinkle in her eye. “I mean, if we just so happen to fall on different teams when we sort randomly, winning against your team wouldn’t count as sabotage, would it?”

“Oh, hell no,” Seulgi grins toothily. “All’s fair if we’re on separate teams.”

“So what are we waiting for?” Moonbyul cuts in, a soccer ball under her arm, walking up from behind Jennie and throwing an arm around the left-center midfielder. “Jennie, I’m making you captain for this scrimmage, so let’s crush Seulgi’s team!”

“Like that’ll happen,” Eunae says, a challenging ring to her voice. She stands at Seulgi’s side, her right hand on her hip, her left held out to Seulgi, palm up. With a hoot of excitement, Seulgi heartily brings her hand on Eunae’s, the resounding smack from their high-five emitting throughout the otherwise empty stadium.

“Let’s start!” Seulgi shouts, turning back to her half of the team, who cheer at her cry. “Let’s win this thing, guys!”

Eunae kicks off the ball from the center position, and they begin.

—

“Are you worried about the team dynamic after all of this?” Irene asks as she and Seulgi meander their way home, purposefully taking longer than usual. “Are you worried about there being any division in the team?”

The older girl isn’t surprised when Seulgi shakes her head, and she smiles.  _ Of course not. As expected from the team captain. _

“No,” Seulgi says. “I mean, obviously Jennie and I will each have our own supporters. Eunae’s already promised that I’ve got her support one hundred percent, and Joy and Yeri have pledged their allegiance –  whatever that entails – so I bet that Lisa has hopped onto Jennie’s train by now, and if she hasn’t she will. Maybe even Jisoo will join her side. But in the end, this little competition has nothing to do with soccer. Jennie and I have relied on each other for years now, and she made it clear that the trust between us isn’t going to change.”

“That’s good,” Irene murmurs, a shy smile blossoming on her lips before it blooms into something bigger, and she throws her head back to laugh and gaze at the sky in wonderment.

“How did I get so lucky?” Irene asks to no one in particular, laughing at her own amazement. “I get to have two amazing soccer players fighting over me. Honestly, I’m flattered.”

“You don’t feel obligated, do you?” Seulgi asks abruptly, chewing on her bottom lip. “You don’t have to actually humor us, you know? I don’t want you to feel like you have to date one of us, or that you have to refuse anyone else that asks you out while this thing between Jennie and I is happening.”

“Don’t worry,” Irene smiles gently. “I don’t feel obligated at all. Everything I do will be out of my own free will. If anything, I’m just grateful that people actually still are interested in me that way.”

“W-well, how could we not?” Seulgi stutters, taken slightly aback at Irene’s admission. “You’re the most beautiful, kind, encouraging, and hardworking person I’ve ever met, Irene. I bet the other girls think similarly too.”

And Seulgi swears her heart stops beating the moment Irene looks back at her, with the sunlight filtering just-so-perfectly through the leaves of the trees, dappling her dark brown hair with golden specks, the wind blowing ever-so-slightly, and  _ god, _ she just looks so  _ ethereal. _

“Thank you, Seulgi,” Irene says with raw honesty, and Seulgi swallows, a breathless  _ you’re welcome  _ escaping her lips just in the nick of time.

“By the way,” the part-time coach continues, “That was a great scrimmage today. Your half of the team did great!”

“But it ended in a tie!” Seulgi groans in disparity. “A  _ tie! _ How can I ever assert dominance with a  _ tie?” _

Irene’s laughter rings clear through the air, reminding Seulgi of the chiming of crystal bells.

—

And so it begins.

There's no official statement to say that it's begun, but it's more like Seulgi knows that it's begun when she and Irene enter the stadium the following Monday for practice, and there's a bouquet of roses waiting for Irene next to her usual coaching clipboard.

“Oh my god,” Seulgi murmurs as she comes out of the locker room in her practice uniform, watching Irene smile bashfully into her bouquet as she thanks Jennie. Meanwhile, Jennie is nothing but cheekily grins and red-tinted cheeks, shaking her head, and Seulgi can make out the words,  _ it was no problem _ , leave her lips.

“There's your competition,” a voice says behind her, and Seulgi sighs dramatically.

“I gotta step up my game, Eunae.”

“I know you can do it,” Eunae replies, slinging her right arm over Seulgi's shoulder leisurely, her left arm curled around a soccer ball, which she pushes into Seulgi's stomach. Her captain grunts exaggeratedly, and Eunae smirks. “I've got your back. Ready to kick ass during practice?”

“Oh, you know I am.” Seulgi grins, lightly punching the taller girl’s arm. “I'm ready for anything the coaches throw our way.”

“Today's the pacer test!” Coach Kwon shouts out, her voice sounding much too happy for someone about to watch her soccer players run back and forth across the field in a high-tension endurance test— better known among athletes as the bane of their existence. “Get ready for the runs of your lives, ladies!”

Shrieks of terror arise from every corner of the field, and suddenly, the entire team is united in a mutual hatred for the upcoming Race to Hell.

(“I would do some sick shit to get out of running the pacer test,” Hwasa declares, lying down on her stomach, Wheein falling to the ground haphazardly beside her, sprawling out like a starfish in despair. “Like,  _ really _ sick shit.”

“Would you eat the plastic turf?” Amber questions, “Because I know that I would. This stuff is made out of recycled tires, y’kno— hey! Krystal, you gotta give me a fair warning before you collapse onto me like that!”

“They can't get me if my legs don't work!” Krystal shouts, sending the nearby girls into fits of laughter.)

“Except for that!” Seulgi groans, pursing her lips and scrunching her nose in annoyance, and Eunae tips her head back in laughter. “God, I hate the pacer test!”

“Don't we all?” Wendy asks, Naeun and Eunji alongside her, Wendy’s face seemingly in a permanent grimace ever since Coach Kwon approached her about the pacer test earlier that morning. Eunji flanks her right side, looking a tad bit worried.

“Is it really that bad?” She asks. Eunji’s not new to the pacer test, per say— it’s just that she’s heard horror stories about the  _ National Team _ pacer tests ever since she was in club soccer.

“No,” Eunae assures her. “I think they're over exaggerating, honestly. The pacer test isn't that bad, don't worry.”

“Says you,” Wendy replies, appearing reasonably affronted. Naeun nods vigorously in agreement. “Eunji wasn’t here for last year’s pacer test.”

“Listen Eunae, I love you,” Naeun says warily, “but we've all learned not to take your word when it comes to endurance tests.”

“This girl’s stamina is literally out of this world,” Seulgi adds with wide eyes, jutting a thumb out to point at Eunae, who snickers. “She goes on 10 kilometer runs for fun in her free time. When it comes to exercise, Eunae’s even crazier than Irene, and Irene is  _ insane!” _

“What was that, Seulgi?” Irene calls over from where she's debriefing with Coach Kwon, her voice sickeningly sweet, especially in the way that her tongue caresses over Seulgi's name.

The aforementioned girl feels a shudder run through her body.

“Nothing! Just absolutely raring to go run some laps for the pacer test!”

Irene smirks her way, and Seulgi feels her heart leap up in her chest and into her throat.

“I should hope so.”

—

“I get the feeling–” Seulgi pants, hands on her knees as she relishes in the short, few-seconds break between the timed beeps. The pacer test is still going on, and a fair number of her members have already dropped out. Seulgi’s still going though; and for what reason— well, that’s sort of obvious. Plus, Jennie hasn’t tapped out yet. “– I get the feeling that this was the training regimen that you were talking about the other day on our way home.”

She’s met with a sly curve of Irene’s lips, and Seulgi gasps in true betrayal as another loud  _ beep!  _ echoes through the crowd-less stadium, and Seulgi turns on the balls of her feet to sprint to the other side of the field. She reaches the opposite white line a few split-seconds before the next  _ beep,  _ and then she’s sent racing back towards Irene on the other side of the field, the elder girl’s smirk still present on her face.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Seulgi shouts as she sprints. From a few feet over, Eunae and Jennie break into slightly painful snickers between their labored breathing. Irene tips her head back in laughter. “You could’ve given me a warning!”

Irene just shakes her head, dark tresses shaking from the movement, beautiful amusement dancing across her features and  _ shit, _ this totally isn’t the time but yeah, Seulgi’s in love.

“Break your record,” Irene says instead as soon as Seulgi’s foot touches that white line. Her eyes are sparkling, and oh my god, Seulgi’s in the middle of a  _ pacer test. _ “You’re five shuttle runs away from your record of 68 runs. Set a record for me, Seul.”

“Okay,” Seulgi breathes.

So she does.

(Ten minutes later and Seulgi’s set a Korean Women’s National Team record. Not Jennie, who drops out at 70 runs and stares at Seulgi in awe and admiration. Not even Eunae, who cheers the second loudest – second only to Irene – after she collapses to the ground at 75 runs.

“My lungs are burning,” Seulgi gasps, as she toes the white line at 78 runs, all but ready to collapse onto the turf in front of Irene. “Hyun, can I stop?”

The pride in Irene’s eyes can’t be topped, and she beams down at the young captain. And then she’s kneeling right next to Seulgi, pulling the slightly-taller girl into her arms. “Yes. I’m so proud of you, Seulgi!”

Relaxing into Irene’s embrace, Seulgi decides right then and there that her burning lungs and aching legs – they’re sure to be sore for days – are more than worth it.)

—

**@ahnyonce: @sringles I’ve never seen you run so fast in my life**

**@n1kseulgifan: @ahnyonce omg what happened at practice???**

**@seulkangjjang: @ahnyonec haha what did our favorite bear captain do today lolol**

**@sringles: @ahnyonce for anyone confused, today we did a pacer test during practice and I broke a national team record *sunglasses emoji***

**@ahnyonce: @sringles lmao true true but I wasn’t talking about the pacer test**

**@sringles: @ahnyonce ?????? What are you talking about then???**

**@ahnyonce: @sringles I’m talking about the way you jumped up and ran to @baerene when she called your name minutes after practice ended**

**@sringles: @ahnyonce @baerene ...Ahn Hyejin I hate you, and also Irene did you turn off your notifications???**

“Hyun,” Seulgi mumbles through a mouthful of sushi, looking up at the older girl sitting across the restaurant table. It’s been an hour since practice let out, and Irene, out of sheer happiness, agreed to pay for a sushi dinner. “Hwasa’s teasing me again.”

“I can see that,” Irene giggles, picking her own phone up from the table and swiping at the  _ @sringles mentioned you in a tweet! _ notification. “Don’t worry, Seul. I’ve got you covered.”

**@baerene: @ahnyonce @sringles yup I came prepared for the flash flood this time. And Hyejin? Get ready for some wall sits and burpees tomorrow**

**@ahnyonce: @baerene @sringles ‘twas worth it *peace sign* *sunglasses emoji***

“Hwasa really is the definition of Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop,” Seulgi sighs, watching as her mentions start to get filled with screaming fans. “And here we go again.”

Much to Seulgi’s surprise, Irene shrugs, the corner of her lips upturning in a smirk. “Nothing we can’t handle, yeah?”

_ We. _ Seulgi likes the sound of that, much more than she should at this point in time, because right now, with Irene sitting across from her at their favorite sushi place, feeding Seulgi sushi wit ph Irene’s own pair of chopsticks, it feels like Irene is  _ hers _ but she’s not. Not yet, at least. The image of Jennie presenting the bouquet of flowers flashes through Seulgi’s mind. Not yet. But soon.

“Of course not,” Seulgi replies smoothly, her gaze turning endearing as she notices Irene’s puffed cheeks and focused look. The older girl notices her staring, and immediately turns her attention back to her food, blushing. “We’re a team. The best of the best.”

Irene nods, still bashfully avoiding Seulgi’s gaze, pursing her lips and pushing back a strand of hair to prevent a smile from breaking out too soon. “The very best.” She halts, pondering her words with a thoughtful finger to her chin. “Well, maybe second best to Wendy and Eunji.”

A Cheshire Cat grin spreads across Seulgi’s face, and she wags her chopsticks in admission. “You’ve got me there, Hyun.”

—

Irene doesn’t know what to find more fascinating— Jennie and her bold statements, or Seulgi and her hidden suavity. It’s an absolute treat to observe the two midfielders, so alike yet so different in their methods and ideas.

After the bouquet of roses, Jennie took her out to dinner the following night. Irene had initially been worried, but to her pleasant surprise, she found that she could converse well with Jennie, who, behind all the flirty remarks, is actually a very thoughtful person. The highlight of the night probably had to have been the shy way that the younger midfielder had revealed her admiration for not only Irene, but Seulgi as well.

“She’s a full year older than me,” Jennie had said, her cheeks turning a light shade of red. “By the time I got into university, Seulgi had already made a name for herself in collegiate soccer. The first time my team played against hers, I was blown away. She inspired me to work harder to get to her level. Jisoo was by my side through that whole time.”

(She also noticed Jennie’s tendency to mention Jisoo— not that she commented on that.)

Meanwhile, life went on with Seulgi. During the day, Irene wouldn’t really notice any changes, but at night, as she lay in bed, reviewing everything that happened, she came to realize that Seulgi was all about the small moments.

Showing up at her doorstep like any other morning, nothing extra in hand. She hadn’t even noticed that Seulgi would stop them by a coffee shop to buy Irene her favorite coffee. When Seulgi had suggested that they take a detour on one of their walks home, Irene hadn’t even thought twice when the taller girl had lead them to the arcade. But in the end, it was Irene who left with both a teddy bear and a plush rabbit in her arms that Seulgi had won from a claw machine (she’d somehow managed to snag both toys from a single game. Irene had commented on Seulgi’s impeccable luck, while Seulgi had insisted on it being purely skill).

But perhaps during practice was where Seulgi thrived. A small,  _ you look beautiful today _ here, and a soft  _ thank you for everything you’ve done for me, _ there, and Irene would sent into a stuttering mess, when she’d be forced to retreat behind her long curtains of hair.

—

A few days later and Saturday comes around again, and Seulgi and Irene enter the stadium together. Irene bids her a temporary goodbye, off to the main office to discuss today’s game with Coach Kwon, and Seulgi heads over to the locker rooms, intending on getting a bit of extra practice in before the official thing.

Usually, most players don’t arrive to a game until about two hours before kickoff, with captains typically being the exception. Their game is scheduled for six o’clock in the afternoon. Meanwhile, it’s only six in the morning. Knowing her teammates, most are still asleep right now.

She really should’ve been caught off guard to find another person already on the field, shooting hasty goal after goal into an open net.

To her credit, Seulgi predicted that something like this would happen. She’s a team captain, after all. It’s only her place to be able to recognize the best chemistry between players, and with recent events, it was only a matter of time.

So really, she’s not shocked to see Kim Jisoo on the turf at this early hour, a look of raw frustration coating her usually tranquil features, teeth grit and eyes narrowed.

The younger girl doesn’t seem to notice Seulgi’s approach, and she jumps slightly when Seulgi finally speaks up after a minute of silent observation.

“You’re not putting enough spin on the ball,” Seulgi instructs, her voice ringing clear through the empty stadium. “The goalkeeper has a bigger chance of letting in balls that bend around them.”

Jisoo gasps, whirling around to face Seulgi with wide eyes, the ball at her feet suddenly forgotten.

“Seulgi,” she says, breathing heavily, and the captain spies the beads of sweat on her forehead. “I didn’t notice you here.”

Seulgi nods, a soft look in her eye that makes Jisoo clench her fists tight. 

“I just arrived.”

“Is Coach Irene here too?”

_ So formal, _ Seulgi thinks to herself. Coach Irene. To the other girls, it’s just  _ Irene, _ or even  _ Bae Joohyun _ when they’re up for teasing her. Yet Jisoo has always kept up this boundary between her and the pseudo-coach, drawing a clear line that no one else has seemed to recognize.

But Seulgi has. “She is. We came together. She’s talking with Coach Kwon right now.”

She receives a tight-lipped nod from Jisoo. “I see.”

And then she’s observing the way that Jisoo looks back over her shoulder, at the open goal with soccer balls messily laying around. She’s a defender. She can shoot goals just as well as any other National Team defender. But Jisoo is not messy. Her set pieces are supposed to be clean and precise— almost guaranteed goals. The balls that she just shot though. They were anything but clean and precise. And Seulgi knows. This is the messiest that Jisoo has been in years.

And she doesn’t realize that she’s hyperventilating until she recognizes that Seulgi’s arms are around her, pulling her into a hug, and the captain is whispering in her ear, “Jisoo, breathe with me. Breathe with me. Ready? In, and out. Again. In, and out.”

Five minutes later, and Jisoo finally comes to her senses.

“I’m okay,” the defender whispers, though her words come out shaky and her fists are clenched yet again. 

Seulgi stares at her sadly. She’s no stranger to frustration and anger; she’d literally just been there herself. And Irene was there during Seulgi’s panic attacks, so there’s no reason why Seulgi can’t be there for Jisoo’s.

“What’s got you so tense?” Seulgi murmurs, fully knowing the reason why.

The dam breaks, and silent tears trail down the stressed girl’s cheeks.

“What does she have?” Jisoo whimpers, staring down at her feet helplessly. “What does she have that I don’t?”

—

“How long?” Seulgi asks a newly consoled Jisoo as they recline in the locker room, lying down on the wooden benches leisurely, being the only players present.

“Since the start of college. We played together,” Jisoo replies, staring up at the ceiling. She’s feeling better now, like a little bit of weight has been lifted off her shoulders after spilling some of her bottled up emotions to her captain. Sure, there’s definitely still pressure there, but even Seulgi can’t help her with that. But for now, it’s enough. “So, four years now?”

Seulgi whistles, raising a hand and holding up four fingers. “Wow. That’s a long time.”

“I was afraid back then,” Jisoo continues, “and I’m still afraid now— of ruining what we have. I’ve loved Jennie for so long, and sure, she’s looked at other people before, but this is the first time she’s gone chasing like a lovesick puppy after someone so desperately.”

“So this is new for her,” Seulgi concludes.

Jisoo smiles weakly. “You couldn’t tell, right? I couldn’t either. I had to ask her yesterday if she had been lying to me about never having pursued anyone.” She sighs, pushing her hair back, and Seulgi can’t help but notice that little similarity between Jisoo and Irene. “Jennie’s unexpectedly smooth, isn’t she? That’s because when she sets her mind to something, she’s going to follow through all the way, to the very best of her ability. You don’t necessarily see it coming, but Jennie can do it.”

“I see,” Seulgi trails off, and the two girls dwindle into silence for a moment before Seulgi opens her mouth again, finding it best to drop the topic for now. It’s clear that Jisoo’s emotionally tired out for today. “So, you ready for today’s game?”

“So long as I’m defending rather than shooting goals,” Jisoo replies, her smile waning, looking even more tired. She shrugs her shoulders as Seulgi casts her another worried glance. “Don’t worry about me, Cap. I’m not usually like this, I promise. Today was just a blip. I’ll be in tip-top shape for today’s game against Australia, I swear.” She pauses. “But can I ask you something? This is the last that I want to say about... this little love web of ours.”

Seulgi nods quickly. “Of course. I’m your captain, Jisoo. I’m here for you.”

“Do think it’s too late to befriend Irene?” Jisoo asks, shoving herself up from the wooden bench. She stares down at her hands, as if disappointed in herself for not asking earlier. “I don’t hate her, not even close. It might seem like I do now, but it’s because I’m... jealous. And I don’t want to be. I see how well she treats Jennie, and I see how she makes you smile, and I want to be friends with her too.” She turns to face Seulgi, who adorns a pleasantly surprised expression. “I think I’d feel better if I became friends with her.”

“I don’t think it would ever be too late,” Seulgi says gently. The captain walks over to Jisoo and rests a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You were having some trouble with your shots on goal earlier, right? I bet that Irene could help you with that. I know you were having a rough time because, y’know, emotions and all, but I really think that Irene could help you out a bunch in the long run.”

“That would be great,” Jisoo breaks out into a soft smile, allowing Seulgi to pull her up and lead her out of the locker room, across the turf, and towards the offices, where Irene is waiting.

—

Seulgi leaves the stadium around eleven-thirty to grab Irene, Jisoo, and Coach Kwon lunch. At noon, she enters through the glass doors once more, producing her silver captain’s key from her pocket and letting herself in. She notes the increased amount of staff that now busy in and out around the stadium, meaning that preparations for today’s game are already well under way.

She’s never thought that she’d ever have to force Jisoo into halting her practice, but that’s just what Seulgi does, tugging the younger girl towards the benches, Irene in tow with mirth on her face. Meanwhile, Jisoo whines.

“I don’t wanna eat yet,” Jisoo huffs indignantly, crossing her arms and pouting at the older girls. “Irene was finally getting around to teaching me how to bend balls like Christen Press and David Beckham!”

“Not to be rude, but you’re not even a forward,” Seulgi jokes, pulling out two sandwiches from the paper bag in her grip and handing them out to her friends. “But then again, when is it not good to know how to bend balls at unreal angles?”

“You never know when it’ll come in handy,” Irene shoots a wink that’s more directed at Jisoo than Seulgi, but the captain can’t help the warm feeling that buzzes in the pit of her stomach and she sees the way that Irene and Jisoo both rock their heads back and laugh together. They’ve come a long way since six AM. She’d never had a doubt that the two girls could get along, but it’s wonderful that they’ve come together so swimmingly.

Jisoo hums in contentment, resting her head on Irene’s shoulder. “Irene understands me on a spiritual level,” she singsongs, and somehow, Seulgi gets the feeling that she missed a lot in the half-hour she was gone.

Judging by the scarily-identical knowing looks the two girls share, Seulgi knows that her hypothesis is correct.

Seulgi blinks. Now that she thinks of it, Jisoo and Irene do look frightening related. They could probably pass as siblings, for all Seulgi can tell, and the captain briefly wonders if there are any theories online about Jisoo being Bae Joohyun’s little sister.  _ I wouldn’t be surprised, _ she thinks warily, her mind drifting to the many theory threads she’s accidentally stumbled upon on Twitter, most of them having to with whom she’s allegedly dating.

“Seul?”

Seulgi snaps out of her daze, blinking to focus on Irene. “Oh, hm?”

“Your phone has been buzzing,” Irene smirks slightly, and Seulgi rolls her eyes good-naturedly as Jisoo giggles. “Either someone’s calling you, or a teammate is sliding into your Twitter mentions yet again.”

“Oh, ha ha,” Seulgi retorts, halfway through the act of sticking out her tongue when she stops in her tracks, frowning at all the Twitter notifications that pop up the second she unlocks her phone. “Wait, you might be right... oh my goodness, I really can’t take Yooa’s Twitter handle seriously.”

“Please don’t tell me that she came up with it herself,” Irene states, raising an eyebrow as she opens Twitter in turn.

It’s Jisoo who answers, her face contorting into something wickedly amused. “You can thank Eunae for that one. Let’s just say that you should never try playing pranks on Eunae, because you never know how hard she can strike back. Yooa has to last another month before she can change it. Doesn’t help that they’re roommates.”

Irene gapes at her, horrified. “What on earth did Yooa do to her that warranted a Twitter handle called  _ selfinsertfanfics?” _

Seulgi scratches her head, a sheepish smile quirking at the corners of her lips. “Well, Yooa didn’t really  _ do _ anything to Eunae—”

“Wait, do you know, Cap?” Jisoo interrupts. The defender leans in at the prospect of juicy gossip. “Eunae said that Yooa pulled a prank, but that doesn’t seem like Yooa. Did Eunae tell  _ you?” _

“Nope!” Seulgi says hastily, chuckling almost nervously. Irene narrows her eyes suspiciously as Jisoo returns to pouting, especially when the captain abruptly changes direction. “Anyways, time to see what Yooa wants...”

**@selfinsertfanfics: @sringles UNNIE I NEED HELP**

**@selfinsertfanfics: @sringles UNNIE PLEASE**

**@selfinsertfanfics: @sringles SEULGI UNNIE SHES GOING TO KILL MEASNJKFDJLMWJLIAKS**

**@DEunA: @selfinsertfanfics @sringles shhhhh no need to go running to Seulgi...**

**@sringles: @DEunA @sringles ...Eunae-ah, do I want to know**

**@DEunA: @sringles @selfinsertfanfics ;))) I think you already know, as much as I hate to admit it**

**@sringle: @DEunA @selfinsertfanfics ohhhhhhh yeah I know ;) Yooa, you have to be more careful these days**

**@selfinsertfanfics: @DEunA @sringles HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT SHE WAS WITHASKJH# &(*8#FLSKJEOIFUL;’{_…]<{¥£]<!€IUOQWNX**

**@sringles: @DEunA @selfinsertfanfics ;) ;) ;) ;)**

“Is Yooa okay?” Irene asks in concern, peering over Seulgi’s shoulder, her small hands curling around Seulgi’s bicep in a loose but natural hold. Jisoo, having moved to sit on Seulgi’s other side, getting interested in Seulgi’s phone as well, spies the subtle motion and smiles to herself.

“Yeah, she’s fine,” Seulgi chuckles, locking her phone and patting Irene’s head. The older girl blushes. “It’s cute that you care though, Hyun.”

“I just want to know what you mean by those winky faces,” Jisoo exclaims, scrunching her nose. “Yooa, Eunae, and apparently you too, have been hiding something for the past month!”

“Don’t worry about it,” the captain reassures the girls in front of her, unconsciously wrapping an arm around Irene, who leans into the hold (Jisoo grins at this). “You girls will be in the loop soon enough.”

Irene sighs, a small smile on her lips. She relaxes and lets herself lean on Seulgi completely, who makes no motion to acknowledge the added weight. “Whatever you say, Seul.”

—

The game begins at six o’clock sharp, and the crowd is roaring as Lisa kicks off the ball from center-field with a swift pass to Momo, and together with Jennie, they race down the field, doing all that they can to dodge the Australian defenders charging at them.

On the sidelines, Seulgi watches the her teammates in pride. The ball goes out of bounds on an Australian player, and Jennie shoots Seulgi a happy thumbs up as she jogs to the sidelines to throw it back in. Seulgi nods in return, watching in apt concentration when Jennie throws an expert ball to Yuju, running a high mid-defense.

A few seconds and pass over to Jisoo later, and the right-defender has already managed to slip the ball back up to Jennie.

The first goal of the game is a rowdy one, scored by Lisa, with a timely assist from Jennie. The entire team whoops and cheers on their feet as the two credited players laugh and share a hug, the rest of the team jumping onto their backs in celebration. Then Jennie breaks away from the pile with a clap on the back from Moonbyul, only to tackle Jisoo into a hasty hug, and the defender laughs, hugging Jennie back just as hard.

Seulgi chuckles as Jennie pulls away to point blatantly in Irene’s direction, who stands, grinning, on the bench next to Coach Kwon. The former-player quickly hides behind her clipboard when the cameras in the stadium catch wind of Jennie’s small stunt, focusing in on Irene on the big screen momentarily. The crowd screams as Coach Kwon guffaws and slaps Irene on the back, causing the smaller girl to yelp and drop her pen, and Seulgi smirks at her.

_ So that’s what she’s planned for today. _

—

The first half ends in a tie, 1-1 for both teams.

They’re on a short break right before the second half when Seulgi pulls a baffled Irene into an isolated corner, away from the cameras and her teasing teammates. She just can’t resist a beautiful Irene, looking breathless under the stadium lights, her hair mussed by all the activity, not even caring about the flyaways, her cheeks flushed by the rush of adrenaline. In the back of her mind, Seulgi ponders on whether or not Irene would be okay with being stolen away. (Eventually, Seulgi just settles on vowing to bring Irene back onto the soccer field, because she guarantees that the older girl would look breathtaking in a new soccer uniform).

“Everything I do on this field today,” Seulgi murmurs into her ear, and a shiver runs down Irene’s spine. “Everything that brings us that much closer to victory. It’s all for you, okay?”

Irene nods, wordlessly cradling Seulgi’s hands in her own.

The older girl bites her lip bashfully, mulling over her words.

“Will you score for me?”

“Do you want me to score for you?”

“I think I’d like that.”

“Then I’ll score for you. Just wait for me.” 

—

Eunae claps Seulgi on her back as they head onto the field. “Ready, Cap?”

“You know it.”

Seulgi’s in full captain mode as she scans over her members on the field, holding Seulgi’s gaze ferociously. They’re out here to win— each and every one of them. She takes mental count of her players: Lisa was swapped for Eunae, and Momo out for Hwasa. Jisoo was subbed for Wendy, and Jennie left the field for Seulgi to enter. That leaves room for two more subs (only if necessary), and Yooa, Krystal, Yeri, Yuju, Moonbyul, Eunji, and Tzuyu are still ready to play another 45 minutes of the second half.

Moonbyul hands off her captain armband to Seulgi as she and Eunae walk past her.

“I can see those gears churning,” Moonbyul smirks, cocking her head. “You worry about your frontline. You can trust me with our brick wall. We’ve got you covered, Seul.”

“I know you do,” Seulgi chuckles, though the gratefulness in her tone shines through the bravado. “Our very best Department of Defense can handle everything. Let’s catch ‘em off guard.”

—

The whistle blows, and the ball is in Yooa’s possession after a swift steal from an opposing Australian forward. The nimble girl twists around the legs of her opposition, her head up and looking for an opening. She finds it in an uncovered Krystal, waving her right arm in the air like a beacon, and with a swift kick, passes the ball over to her teammate.

“Crap,” Krystal mutters as an Australian player spots her, the other woman dashing over to try and steal the ball back to gain possession. With a grunt, Krystal butts shoulders with the offender, the right side of her body shifting to take more of her weight— not enough to knock the Australian player down (that would probably gain her a yellow card, which is something that Krystal’s team seriously does not need), but just enough to throw her off.

“Krystal!” Seulgi yells, dashing down the field and successfully losing the three defenders who had tagged teamed up to keep the center-midfielder occupied. “Krys, behind you— shit!”

“Dammit!” Krystal curses, crashing down on her side when the foot of an opposing player tangles it’s way between her feet. A whistle is blown and a yellow card raised, and Krystal groans beneath the weight.

“Shit, I’m sorry,” the Australian player mutters, not meeting Krystal’s eyes as she helps the tripped girl stand. Seeing the Korean player’s knees about to buckle, she lunges forward, catching Krystal just in time. “I didn’t mean to... shit.”

“Look, don’t mention it,” Krystal grunts. She turns to look at the bench where an agitated Amber is gripping the edge of the bannister, fire in her eyes. Ugh. She’s not looking forward to dealing with that. She’s relieved when Seulgi materializes at her side, but rolls her eyes at the concern written all over the Captain’s face. “I’m fine, Seul, don’t worry.”

“You always say that,” Seulgi replies with an eye roll of her own. “I’ve known you for my whole life, Krys. Like I’m about to start believing you now. You hurt your left ankle?”

“It’s just a sprain,” But at Seulgi’s reprimanding look, Krystal sighs. “I’ll make my way over to the bench, then. Who will you send in? There’s not much time to think it over.”

Seulgi looks at Irene, who has already left her perch on the bleachers to talk to the players on the bench, the urgency in her defensive body language clear as day. For a brief second, they meet each other’s eyes, and Irene gives a curt nod.

Wheein sprints out to the field to take Krystal’s place less than a minute later, and they keep playing.

—

Thirty-five minutes into the second half, neither team has managed to score, and Seulgi takes deep breaths to keep herself calm and collected. Another ball has just been kicked out pot bounds – on Korea this time– and they’re waiting for the Australian forward to throw it back in. To the right of Seulgi, Hwasa stomps her foot in annoyance, clearly frustrated at the lack of clear openings to shoot on goal.

“They sent out all of their defenders for the second half,” the Korean forward grumbles to Seulgi, who nods in acknowledgement. “Like, literally all  _ six _ of them. What even is this formation? There’s six defenders, three midfielders, and one forward!”

“I realized,” Seulgi sighs as the negotiating with the referee on how far down the field the ball can be thrown in continues on. “They’re trying to wear us down.”

“It’s not working,” Hwasa grunts. “I’m not tired, just frustrated.”

“I feel,” Eunae chimes in, jogging up to Seulgi and Hwasa. “We’ve gotta score.”

“Moonbyul has the back line in top shape though,” Seulgi notes, nodding to where the blonde-haired defender engages into yet another argument about how the opposing forward is trying to steal distance, Eunji right behind her, ready to fight if necessary. “They haven’t let in any balls come relatively close to the goal, so Tzuyu hasn’t had any action in a while... she looks pretty bored. Our midfield has been hitting the defensive line too. The three of us are playing too defensive, so we should put a stop to that. We can’t win defense against defense. This has to end fast.”

Hwasa and Eunae exchange looks. “We can do that.”

“Great!” Seulgi claps her hands together in excitement, grinning wickedly. “Let’s have some fun, Lightning forward style.”

—

It’s just the turn-around that the team needs.

“We’re passing up, girls!” Seulgi shouts, blazing up the field with Eunae and Hwasa flanking her. “Up, up, up! We’re gonna get us some goals!”

She’s met with loud cheers from both her girls and the home crowd, and the ball makes it to Seulgi’s feet in a record time. They’ve got ten minutes to win this, and Seulgi refuses to only win by a single point. They split, Eunae tearing left and Hwasa tearing down a hard right, while Seulgi keeps charging through the middle.

With a swift pass to Wheein, the two midfielders weave between players, never losing speed, simply getting faster as Seulgi finds herself increasing the distance between her and the defending Australians.

Wheein often says that she doesn’t like being small, but she’s not complaining as she ducks beneath the outstretched arms attempting to stop her in her tracks, sending the ball through an open pair of leg to Seulgi. It’s with her impeccable accuracy that the captain sends a ball arching over the field, finding its way to Hwasa, who hastily touches it down before tapping up to a wide open Eunae.

One curving touch to bend the ball around the goalkeeper, and it’s in.

The crowd goes wild, and Seulgi jumps onto Eunae’s back as Hwasa and a Wheein tackle the Eunae to the ground, making them all fall. And their players are swarming them, shaking Eunae’s shoulders. Seulgi vaguely registers Wendy’s striking falsetto shrieking in glee. (And to her credit, Yeri whoops and dashes down the field to leap into Tzuyu’s arms, not wanting the tall goalkeeper to feel left out of the celebration.)

“Keep it up, girls!” Seulgi shouts as they break. She meets Irene’s proud gaze in the stands, and she’s reminded of the day she walked across that office space, into Irene’s arms. How time has flown. “Eight minutes, girls! And we are not winning by one point alone!”

(Yeri scores her first ever goal while on the National Team three minutes later. Seulgi picks her up and spins her around before shoving the youngest player towards the bench, where Joy is waiting. Yeri might wipe her tears on Joy’s uniform, but if the older girl notices, she doesn’t say anything, opting to just hug Yeri instead.

“Did you see me?” Yeri asks breathlessly, having to crane her neck up to look Joy in the eye.

“I only saw you,” Joy says fondly, smoothing back Yeri’s sweaty bangs and squeezing Yeri tight. She presses an open-mouthed kiss into Yeri’s hair. “Go back in there and kill ‘em.”)

—

Seulgi doesn’t even need the remaining five minutes to score a goal.

She does it within the next thirty seconds after kickoff, stealing the ball, passing to Hwasa, and tearing down the center of the field with Eunae clearing the way in front of her. With a shout from Hwasa, the ball gets sent careening over the heads of the other players.

“Seulgi!” Eunae yells, and all other sound drowns out.

It’s all Seulgi. Seulgi and the ball that Eunae just headed over to her... but there’s also  _ Irene. _

Irene in the stands, up on her feet, her hands fiercely clutching her clipboard, her eyes just blazing.

“I believe in you.”

Seulgi believes, believes, believes.

The ball is too high to bring it down in time— it’s hard to judge the impact of headers though, so Seulgi isn’t complaining. There’s rules against using your hands, but no rules against Seulgi leaving the ground.

A high jump (one with enough height that the commentators would be talking about it even after the game ended).

A swift kick (“You looked like a ninja,” Chungha would tell her later. “Did I look cool?” Seulgi would ask. “Meh,” SinB would say.).

An attempt to block from the goalie. Miss.

It’s in.

The stadium erupts with noise.

(They all dogpile onto her— of course they do. Seulgi was bracing herself for it, gazing up at Irene and her beautiful smile and wind-swept hair and wishing that Irene were on the field next to her. 

—

“This was only a friendly game,”  Jennie laughs, reclining back on the lockers, “but somehow, it seems like we won something larger.”

“I like it,” Seulgi grins. “I’m not complaining.”

“Neither am I,” Jennie replies. There’s nothing else behind it, just a statement.

Someone won something today. Some people won more than one thing.

—

“I scored for you,” Seulgi says, nothing but smiles and teeth as she and Irene walk back to Irene’s place from the stadium. She’s tired, and still a bit sweaty, but then again, she wants nothing more than time with Irene.

“You did,” Irene smiles, bumping their shoulders playfully. “It was a stunner of a goal. Keep this up, and you’ll have no problem during the World Cup.”

“I can’t wait for the qualifiers,” the captain says giddily. “We’re gonna burn our way through those next week.”

“I’m looking forward to it too,” Irene replies, just as enthusiastic.

“I’m still planning on taking over the Olympic for you,” Seulgi reminds her casually. “Right after we win this World Cup. I’m not going back on that promise.”

“And I believe in you,” the older girl says steadily, and Seulgi’s heart tightens at the weight of the words. She doesn’t need anything else. Just Irene’s unwavering belief.

“Thank you, Hyun.”

—

**One week later (Seven months post-injury)**

“I can’t believe we’re getting a new member right before the World Cup,” Yeri whines, pouting petulantly as she clings to Joy’s larger frame. “We just crushed our way through the qualifiers, but does it not seem, I dunno, a bit short noticed?”

“We need someone to fill in for Krystal. You’re just annoyed that you’re not going to be the baby member anymore,” Jisoo jokes, scrunching her nose in amusement when Yeri puffs out her cheeks. “Oh, come on, Yeri! You’re a sunbaenim to a ton of older teammates anyways! How different can this be?”

“The difference is that I was Somi’s captain on the under-20s team,” Yeri huffs, her hands fisting into the fabric of Joy’s practice uniform. “I’m not ready for this! I’m only nineteen, and I’m feeling the aging process! Being the youngest member is the only thing that’s keeping me feeling young these days!”

Irene and Jisoo share a look, raising eyebrows at Yeri’s dramatization.

“... Right,” Irene says uneasily, inwardly wincing as she remembers that she’s twenty-seven now.  _ And this kid is worrying about growing old... _

“Don’t worry, Yerim,” Joy coos, spinning around to drape her arms around Yeri, who basically sinks into Joy’s embrace. “You’re still  _ my _ baby.”

“And that’s our cue to leave,” Irene laughs nervously, nudging Jisoo to her feet. The defender willingly stands, pretending to cough when she and Irene make way to flee the locker room. However, before they can reach the entrance, the door swings open and Seulgi walks in, Moonbyul and their newest addition in tow.

“Oh!” Seulgi brightens at the sight of the elder girl. “Hyun! You’re here! Hi, Jisoo!” She smiles at the girl who recently dyed her hair a dark violet color. “It’s still early, so I’d been wondering if any of the other girls were in or not.”

(“Gotta look eye-catching at the World Cup!” Jisoo had said. “In an entire stadium full of international soccer players, I want the crowd to remember who I am.”

Seulgi got the feeling that Jisoo was also trying to catch the attention of a different certain someone as well.)

“Our newest call up is here,” Seulgi continues, motioning to the girl bouncing eagerly on the balls of her feet behind her. “I think some people already know her. So this is—”

“Somi!” Yeri screams dashing past the older girls to tackle Somi into a hug. “SomSom I’ve missed you!”

Seulgi smirks as Moonbyul clucks her tongue in amusement, alternating between glancing at an equally confused Jisoo and Irene, and the fast chattering, newly reunited young duo.

Joy materializes at Seulgi’s side, tsking disapprovingly. She crosses her arms, and Seulgi can basically see the goalkeeper turn green with jealousy at the sheer excitement on Yeri’s face. “And to think that Yeri was just complaining about bringing Somi in so close to the World Cup, too.”

“I think she just wanted your attention,” Seulgi says with a shrug. “It’s not uncommon.”

“Just like how you start sulking when Irene neglects you for too long?” Jisoo prods, a mischievous spark in her eye, and she elbows a giggling Irene.

Seulgi starts choking over nothing, bumping a fist against her chest to calm herself down.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

—

Jennie doesn’t know when she started caring so much about who Jisoo talks to at practice on a daily basis.  All she knows is that she’s waving a hello to Irene when Jisoo and Seulgi exit the locker room right after the part-time coach, all giggles and jokingly pushing each other around, and Jennie feels something odd churning in her stomach.

“You’re kinda slow, Seul,” Jisoo is saying, playfully punching the captain in the stomach. Seulgi doubles over dramatically, clutching the hurt area and groaning. The older girl curls up on the turf, grabbing at Jisoo’s ankle and tugging.

“You suck, Jichu,” Seulgi gasps, pretending to gag and Jisoo hunches over laughing, the defender pulling her ankle out of Seulgi’s grasp.

“Maybe Irene can give you physical therapy again,” Jisoo shoots back and laughs again as a lightbulb flicks on in Seulgi’s brain, and Seulgi begins groaning louder.

Meanwhile, Jennie can’t ever the fact that Seulgi just called Jisoo “Jichu,” because  _ isn’t that  _ my _ special nickname for Jisoo? _

“Are you okay, Jennie?” Irene voices from her right, and Jennie snaps out of her daze.

“I, uh,” the New Zealand-Korean turns to face the older girl, only to be taken aback when she finds nothing but gentle understanding swimming in Irene’s kind orbs. It’s familiar, but not, all at once. How has Jennie never seen the similarities between Jisoo and Irene before?  _ I suppose I have a type— wait. _

“I’m good,” Jennie quickly reassures Irene, but not before chancing another glance to Seulgi and Jisoo, who have resulted to passing a soccer ball between the two of them, chatting casually as they warm up for practice.

“Is it bad that I sometimes feel jealous of Jisoo?” Irene asks out of nowhere. “She makes friends so easily. She’s so easy to love. But at the same time, I don’t think I’d mind if she were my little sister. It’s also easy to laugh, you know? When you’re around Jisoo, everything feels really light.”

“I know what you mean,” Jennie finds herself saying without thinking. “I don’t think that I could’ve gotten so far in the soccer world without her.”

“Whoever Jisoo ends up with,” Irene says quietly. “Is going to be very,  _ very _ lucky.”

Jennie feels like she’s just been run over with a steamroller.

Because somehow, it’s never occurred to her that Jisoo will belong to somebody else one day; that Jisoo’s role is not singularly to be Jennie’s absolute best friend and number one supporter. One day, there will be someone else who will share an apartment with Jisoo, and it won’t be Jennie.

She feels sick.

If she’s slightly more distracted during practice today, nobody says anything. 

(Except for Jisoo, who brushes up to Jennie during a water break and rubs away the goosebumps that dot Jennie’s bare skin. Jennie leans into Jisoo, who smiles softly and asks if Jennie wants to go home early. Jennie shakes her head. She’s okay. Jisoo makes things okay.)

—

Irene starts doubting herself at 9PM that night, after Seulgi took her out to dinner and walked her home.

She’s logged onto Twitter, and the first thing she notices is how she’s absolutely barraged with pictures of Seulgi and Eunae  _ together _ from last weekend’s World Cup qualifiers when she goes into the #KorWNT tag.

**@Seulnaeshipper23: look at my ship!!!!! Seulnae have the very best victory hugs!!! Can’t beat this duo #Seulnae #KorWNT**

**@seulgiseunae: #Seulnae are going to lead us to the finals at the World Cup!!!! #KorWNT**

**@eunaes_23: You’d be insane to think that Seulnae aren’t dating!!!! Look at those *heart eyes emoji* anjdsjjnijfnd #KorWNT**

**@kangshibe: okay but y’all know how Eunae’s nickname is D.ana, right? So why aren’t y’all calling this ship Diggy?????? #Seulnae #KorWNT *picture of a growling Shiba Inu***

She sighs, swiftly leaving her account, double pressing the home screen button, and outright shutting down the Twitter app.

There’s... absolutely no way that Seulgi and Eunae are actually dating, right? Sure, they’re arguably the duo with the best chemistry on the Korean National Team (although recently, there have been other combos that have been coming scarily close to taking that spot— notably Wendy and Eunji). Besides, Seulgi’s said on multiple occasions that she and Eunae are “victory hug buddies.”

That doesn’t mean that there aren’t other girls on the National Team that weren’t once (or still are) interested in the charming captain. Seulgi has hinted that she and Krystal were a thing for a short period of time, way back in the day. YooA’s blatant affection for Seulgi is painfully obvious— though she insists that it’s only a starstruck crush on the older girl. The same can be said for Somi, who, according to Moonbyul, “got all googly-eyed when Seulgi first walked into the room.”

And then there are the  _ other  _ rumors. Because apparently, the fans don’t stick to ships within the soccer team. And Irene, unfortunately being an adult in the world of technology, has stumbled upon more of those than she can count. Seulgi’s been linked to people all over the entertainment industry— from actress Gong Seungyeon (“Irene, she’s just a close unnie”), to singer Im Nayeon (“Did you know she played soccer back in high school?”), to the model Yura (“Okay, she just so happens to be my friend Mijoo’s older sister”) to even Chinese model Jieqong (“We met  _ once _ at an ESPN party because we both modeled for their magazine!”)

And who even is Irene anymore? Bae Joohyun? No, it can’t be. Bae Joohyun, the Lightning Forward, the soccer star, disappeared from the world, never to be seen again. All she is, is Irene, the reputable-enough physical therapist. So what if athletes from all over Korea want her services? She’s nothing compared to all those other girls.

“Why would she choose me?” Irene murmurs, staring blankly up at the ceiling.

She’s interrupted in her musings by the sound of her doorbell ringing.

—

“I can’t believe you brought me carrot cake this late at night,” Irene exclaims, cutting herself a slice after she hands Seulgi her plate. “How did you even know I was up?”

“I just got the feeling,” Seulgi chuckles, picking up her fork. A sound of contentment rumbles in her throat as the sweet taste of carrot cake overflows her senses. She’d never found the appeal in the dessert until Irene introduced it to her on one of their café afternoons. After that first bite, Seulgi understood why it was Irene’s favorite food. 

“I was lounging on the couch, my laptop open with the intention of catching up on some Netflix, when I suddenly had this feeling, y’know? Like you were sulking or something. So I sprang up – and nearly gave Wendy a heart attack, by the way – yelled an incoherent sentence about how I wanted to buy some carrot cake for you, and sprinted out the door.”

Irene shakes her head, though the smile on her face betrays her. “I can’t believe you, Kang Seulgi. And you left Wendy all alone?”

Seulgi waves her off. “Ah, she was FaceTiming Eunji anyways! But I was right, wasn’t I?” Seulgi’s never looked more like a baby bear as she grins cheekily at Irene. “You were sulking before I got here.”

A constrained sound escapes Irene’s lips, but she doesn’t deny the younger girl.

“What were you thinking about?” Seulgi presses. “What’s going on in Bae Joohyun’s brain?”

“... Have you checked the Korean Women’s National Team tag on Twitter recently?”

Seulgi slowly nods, and a whole second later, understanding washes over her features in waves. “Oh. You saw all the tweets speculating about ‘Seulnae’ or something, right?” She rolls her eyes, making air-quotes with her index and middle finger around the ship name. “Eunae and I have been talking a lot about that stuff too. We’re probably gonna end up cutting down on the hugs,” she chuckles, her hair falling down into her face as she shakes her head.

“You two...” Irene bites her lip. “You guys aren’t a  _ thing _ , are you?”

Seulgi’s eyes widen. “Of course not!” She frowns. “There’s no way I’d be pursuing you if I wasn’t... I get the feeling that you understand that, but you just want the confirmation?” Seulgi says gently, a soft smile spreading on her lips at the older girl’s red cheeks. “It’s fine, Hyun! I understand.”

“Not just that,” Irene murmurs, staring down at her half-eaten cake. “I don’t... it’s not that I don’t like Jennie, because I do. It’s just clear that I don’t like her in a romantic sense. I think that Jennie’s chasing after the wrong person too.”

“Jennie has...” Seulgi pauses, mulling over her next words. “She’s been too busy looking forward. She didn’t realize that she person she’s really been searching for has been right next to her this whole time.” The places her fork down. “

Irene stays quiet, her lips still pursed around her fork. Slowly, she pulls it out, finally looking up to catch Seulgi’s knowing gaze.

“Back before this whole thing with Jennie started,” Irene begins carefully, feeling slightly encouraged when Seulgi nods her way, still smiling. “You asked me to wait a little. Now it’s my turn. Can you wait for me, Seulgi? Just a little longer.”

And Irene didn’t realize that she was reaching out for Seulgi until the other girl reaches across the table and intertwines their fingers. Irene stares at their locked fingers through hooded eyes. The weight on her chest feels... lighter. Liberating. Holding Seulgi’s hand feels liberating, and Irene doesn’t want to let go.

“Of course I can wait for you, Hyun,” Seulgi says, shooting Irene her best Seulgi Eye-Smile— the very same eye smile that Irene first saw the day Seulgi could finally walk again; the day Irene knew in the back of her mind that she would mind seeing that smile every day of the week. “Anything waiting that I do for you... I know that it’ll be worth it in the end.”

Yes. This is the right choice.

“Thank you, Seulgi.”

—

Irene’s searching for her clipboard underneath a pile of papers the next day when there’s a tap on her shoulder. She whirls around in the rolling desk chair to see a hand extending her clipboard to her.

“Oh!” She smiles, taking the clipboard from the hand, and then following the arm up to its owner. “Thank you, Eunae! I’ve been looking for this everywhere!”

“No problem,” The tall forward replies graciously, becoming shy as Irene beams at her. “Um, so I was talking to Seulgi earlier, and she might have mentioned some things...”

Irene regards Eunae in amusement. Clearly, she’s not worried about any threat Eunae might have once posed— the girl has made it obvious that she and Seulgi are sisters at best. Last night was just Irene succumbing to her own insecurities. Still, she looks at Eunae imploringly.

“So,” Eunae continues slowly. “I just uh, thought that you should know that there’s no need to worry whatsoever, since I already have a girlfriend.”

“I— wait, what?” Irene’s eyes go wide, and her eyebrows raise to the top of her head. “You have a girlfriend? How— I— how on earth did we all not know?”

Eunae flushes red, finding the tips of her cleats startlingly interesting. “I’ve been keeping it super,  _ super  _ on the down-low. Her name’s Nahyun, and she’s studying to be a lawyer. We met back in college when we were hanging out in the library, but after we graduated we didn’t really see much of each other. A few months ago, we reconnected at a reunion party and we’ve been together ever since.”

Irene nods, taking a moment to process this information. “Well congrats, Eunae! I’m glad you found someone to connect with! Sorry, I’m just a little bit shocked,” she and Eunae share a laugh. “Wait, does this somehow have to do with why YooA’s Twitter handle is  _ selfinsertfanfics?” _

Eunae chuckles, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head. “Yeah, it does. But I think that’s a story for another day.”

—

After practice, it’s Jennie who found Irene first, quietly asking if she could steal some of Irene’s time and steal her away for a few minutes. Irene had nodded wordlessly, and now here they stand, at the top of the bleachers, away from any listening ears.

“I think you know why I asked to talk to you up here,” Jennie says after a moment of silence. A tired smile skips across her features, and Irene returns it with a small smile of her own.

“I definitely have my assumptions,” Irene confirms.

“Seulgi will take good care of you,” is what Jennie says, and Irene is stunned into speechlessness at the blunt plainness of the statement. Yet somehow, it sounds right for both of them.

Irene nods through hooded eyes, thinking back to the way Seulgi held her hand last night. That had felt right too.

“I know she will,” Irene replies softly. “But Jennie, you don’t have to be alone.”

“I know that too,” Jennie admits. “I did some thinking, and I guess I came to the conclusion that I’ve been chasing the wrong rabbit this whole time.”

“But you know who the right one is now,” Irene says gently, her voice tender. “And that’s what matters.”

“What if it’s too late?” Jennie sounds afraid to ask the question. “What if Jisoo can’t see me like that anymore?”

“I don’t think that’s possible,” Irene tells her. “Especially since she’s been looking at you and only you this whole time.”

—

“Jisoo’s still in the locker room. I was just in there with her,” Seulgi informs Jennie with a knowing pat on the back after Irene and her fellow midfielder made their way back down to the turf. Jennie whispers a quiet  _ thank you, _ and Seulgi shakes her head softly. 

“Just make her happy, and that’s enough thanks for me.”

Seulgi waves Jennie off as the other midfielder slips into the locker room, and no second later, when it’s just her and Irene alone in the field, she finds herself getting tackled to the ground, completely caught off guard when a smaller body rams into her own.

Seulgi throws her head back, laughing, as Irene pins her down in the grass.

“You’ve been spending too much time with other girls, Kang Seulgi,” Irene says, scrunching up her nose in distaste. “Should I be concerned?”

“I didn’t know that you were the jealous type,” Seulgi replies teasingly, eyes crinkling into little crescent moons. “Not gonna like, it’s kinda hot.”

“You’re mine now,” Irene states, like it’s no big deal and Seulgi’s heart  _ totally _ isn’t swelling to twice the size. “All mine.”

“All yours,” Seulgi repeats, like Irene hasn’t owned her entire being since the day she told Seulgi  _ I think you’ll be my best case yet  _ (and she’d been right). “But you’ve been talking a lot with Jennie recently. Should  _ I _ be concerned?”

“Of course not! I belong to you too,” Irene continues, not moving an inch off of Seulgi despite the pink hue staining her cheeks. “Just to make that clear. Because this a two-way street, and stuff... yada yada yada, I think we’ve been around each other long enough to avoid the rest of the speech.”

“You belong to me,” Seulgi reiterates happily, because Seulgi likes simple very much. And Irene is simple. And so by the mathematical transitive property, Seulgi likes Irene. Very, very,  _ very _ much. (Irene makes her do things that she would otherwise never do— like eat celery and carrot sticks during practice, and relate something like falling in love to mathematics.)

“You’re all changed, yeah?” Irene comments, noting how Seulgi’s wearing her casual clothes. “Let’s go get ice cream?”

“Yes!” Seulgi fist pumps as Irene reluctantly moves off of her. “Wait,” Seulgi’s attention is temporarily diverted, observing the way that the locker room door opens, and Jisoo and Jennie exit, laughing and joking together as they usually do— except they’re  _ holding hands. _

Seulgi bites back a smile, trying to contain herself as she and Irene meet eyes. “Can we invite them?”

Irene laughs, the sound filling the empty stadium and rising up into the clouds.

“Of course we can.”

—

**@lalimario: @rosepasta @jfkryst @llamamber we cute #doubledates #chaelisa #kryber**

**@korwntfan45: @lalimario @rosepasta @jfkryst @llamamber OMG THEY’RE ADORABLE**

“No one gave me the memo that it was National Double Date day,” Irene comments, casually tapping the heart icon underneath the posted selca of the two couples grinning up at the camera, slices of pizza in their hands. She cocks her head as a her phone dings, and a new post pops up on her timeline. “Oh my god…”

**@parksootan: @myemim @ofcwendy @artisteunji  we cuter #doubledates #joyri #wenji**

**@hangulwoso: @parksootan @myemim @ofcwendy @artisteunji LMAO MAKNAES REIGN SUPREME AND #WENJI IS SAILINGGGG**

“We’re being outdone,” Jisoo complains, begrudging running her thumb over the heart icon in turn. “I can’t be the only one who thinks we can do better.”

Jennie laughs, nudging Jisoo with her elbow. “Oh, please. We could could create plenty of havoc if we wanted to.”

“Why don’t we?” Seulgi asks innocently, shrugging her shoulders and pulling out her phone. She beckons all the girls closer. “Get in guys, we’ve got a mission to accomplish. Make sure your notifications are off.”

**@sringles: @baerene @jendeukkie @jichuchu we da cutest #doubledates #seulrene #jensoo**

**@korwnt_seulgi: @sringles @baerene @jendeukkie @jichuchu WAIT A SECOND SEULGI IS TAKEN AND JENSOO IS REAL??????**

**@jendeukkie: @korwnt_seulgi yup.**

**@seulgijennie: @sringles @baerene @jendeukkie @jichuchu HOLD UP SEULGI IS DATING THAT CUTE GIRL WHO’S BEEN AT ALL THE GAMES RECENTLY**

**@baerene: @seulgijennie I’m a part-time coach, and that is correct**

**@jisoofan2:  @sringles @baerene @jendeukkie @jichuchu THEYRE SO CUTE TOGETHER OMG #SEULRENE AND #JISOO RISE**

**@myemim: @sringles @baerene @jendeukkie @jichuchu congrats guys you broke the internet**

**@jichuchu: @myemim *sunglasses emoji***

—

**World Cup Finals (Ten months post-injury)**

“Fifteen minutes,” Seulgi shouts in their huddle. “We’ve got fifteen minutes. We’re at three points each—  _ guys,  _ we’re tied with  _ Japan! _ They’re staring us down the field. They’re giving us a run for our money. But we’re  _ here!  _ We’re  _ this close!  _ We can do this! You all hear me?!”

“Yes Captain!” Her team members yell back at her, and Seulgi feels a tsunami of pride hit her right in the chest. They’ve come so far. Seulgi’s not allowing this to go to waste. Moonbyul catches her eye, and her fellow captain grins, wiping some sweat from her forehead. Seulgi nods, and Moonbyul steps forward.

_ “What are we here to do?!” _ Moonbyul screams.

“We’re here to WIN!”

—

Irene sits in the stands anxiously, fidgeting with the hem her  _ Kang Seulgi 10  _ jersey, watching intently as Seulgi plunges into the fray, Eunae and Chungha streaking out in front of her, and Seulgi immediately steals the ball, making room for more opportunities.

Beside her, Solar reaches out to grip Irene’s shoulder. The surgeon’s gaze is fixated at the other end of the field, where Moonbyul faces off against a Japanese forward, an ongoing glaring contest in the works. Earlier, Moonbyul had been pushed to the ground by that very forward, and Solar had been up in arms— Irene even had to physically calm her best friend down.

“You can do it,” Irene whispers, knowing for sure that no one else can hear her beneath the roar of the crowd.

Yet somehow, after Seulgi passes a quick ball to Eunae, the midfielder turns to look up into the stands, meeting Irene’s gaze, nodding. The physical therapist’s heart flutters.

Seulgi heard her. No one could convince her otherwise.

“You can do it!” Irene screams, not caring if anyone found it strange, and Seulgi’s smile widens.

And with a final thumbs up, Seulgi dashes back into the clash.

—

Twenty seconds.

Eunae dashes forward, ducking beneath the arm of a defending Japanese player, reclaiming possession of the ball.

Fifteen seconds.

A pass over to Chungha, who is more than ready.

Ten seconds.

An arc over to Seulgi, who touches the ball down and runs faster than she’s ever run in her life.

(Irene is on her feet in the stands, clutching the fabric of her jersey, begging Anyone Up There that  _ please, just this once—) _

Five seconds.

Seulgi’s in the clear. She’s outrun everyone. It’s just her and the goalie and—

Three seconds.

The shot. It soars above the goalie’s extended hands and—

Two seconds.

It’s in.

One second.

Seulgi feels her legs go numb, and she collapses to the ground as the weight of that single goal sinks in.

Zero seconds.

The buzzer rings, and South Korea has just won the World Cup.

Seulgi looks to the sky and roars.

(Irene watches with tears in her eyes as everything erupts around her. Solar sobs tears of utter joy, crying into Irene’s shirt, but Irene just can’t stop looking at Seulgi.)

—

The next thing she knows, Irene is racing down to the edge of the stands, screaming Seulgi’s name as tears stream down her cheeks, her lips encased in a face-splitting smile.

“Seulgi!  _ Seulgi!” _

“Irene!  _ Joohyun!” _

Later on, Irene will wonder how Seulgi even had the strength and stamina to basically throw herself up and over the bleacher railing, because she swears that the first row in the stadium was a good eight feet above the turf of the stadium. Nevertheless, suddenly, Seulgi is all up in her face, and she’s cupping Irene’s cheeks, and she’s nuzzling their nose and—

Irene’s always dreamed of kissing her lover at the World Cup after a victory. Sure, maybe it’s not the way that she initially imagined, but  _ god, she wouldn’t trade this feeling of happiness for the world. _

When they pull away, Seulgi is breathless (and rightfully so; she just played a straight 90 minutes of the most taxing soccer game she’s ever imagined), and Irene just sobs, pressing her face into Seulgi’s neck.

“You won,” she cries into Seulgi’s skin, and she can feel the rumble of Seulgi’s laughter beneath her lips.

“We  _ did  _ win,” Seulgi says, mirth in her voice and in her eyes. “It was all because of you, Hyun. I won for you.”

“You were amazing on your own.” Irene mumbles, smothering a smile back when she feels Seulgi shake her head.

“None of this was possible without you, Hyun,” Seulgi insists, nothing but sheer, genuine honesty in the tone.

And then it happens.

“ _ God, I love you,” _ Seulgi says, with stars in her eyes that shine brighter than any of the fireworks going off overhead.

Irene thinks her chest might burst from this happiness; like the fireworks are happening in her soul.

“Oh Seulgi,  _ I love you too.” _

(Later that night, they both agree that this is better than any World Cup trophy).

“Next comes the Olympics,” Seulgi murmurs, but the other girl presses a chaste kiss against her lips.

“That comes tomorrow,” Irene says playfully, bumping their noses together. “We celebrate tonight.”

“So… I’m gonna get some?” Seulgi grins cheekily, a burst of laughter escaping as Irene pretends to bop her head.

Instead, the older girl winks.

“We’ll see, Seul. We’ll see. Now go celebrate with your teammates! They’re waiting to drape a flag around you!”

—

Everything comes full circle. The next few days are filled with festivities that Seulgi and her teammates willingly participate in (even though they’re dead tired, but really, truth be told fan interaction is better than amount of sleep).

And then they’re back to practice, but this time, Seulgi wakes every morning and gets herself dressed. She packs some celery and carrot sticks into her little pack for good measure before heading out to pick up her girlfriend so that they can walk to work together.

“Do you think you’ll ever go back to being a physical therapist?” Seulgi questions, the morning of their first practice after the World Cup.

“Honestly, at this rate, I don’t know,” Irene shrugs, a small smile on her face. “I don’t mind though. I didn’t realize how much I missed soccer until I was given this opportunity. I’m not letting any second go to waste.”

“Good,” Seulgi says resolutely. “I like you with me, Hyun.”

“Same here, Seul,” Irene giggles, intertwining their hands. “Same here.”

“Did you see us like this?” Seulgi can’t help but ask. “Back when you first met me in that hospital room?”

“I can’t say that I did,” Irene admits before turning slightly starry-eyed. Seulgi giggles. She likes the sentimental side of her girlfriend. “But I don’t think I could’ve asked for a better outcome. Because you and me, Seul? We’re invincible.”

“Invincible,” Seulgi repeats, the word ringing true in her head. “I like that. I think I could believe you.”

And Seulgi believes, believes,  _ believes. _


	3. All This Time, Reaches Such Great Heights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a short interlude

**1 minute post-World Cup Victory**

Wendy can hardly register what’s going on through all the noise. All she knows is that Seulgi is now on the ground, crying tears of happiness, Eunae has just tackled her into a hug, and Chungha has started a dogpile.

What Wendy  _ does _ register though, is the suddenly body that crashes into her own and lifts her up into the air.

And then she’s laughing with all of the joy this earthly realm possesses, as Eunji twirls her around in exhilaration, and there’s shouting all around her, and the stadium has erupted, but it’s  _ really  _ just her and Eunji right then and there.

“We won!” Eunji screams as she sets Wendy down and they jump around in place. “Wan, we  _ won!” _

Wendy really,  _ really _ can’t find the proper words to articulate how she feels right now, so she settles for vigorously nodding her head before Eunji pulls Wendy into a hug.

“Everything is ringing!” Wendy laughs, gesturing wildly, completely unsure if Eunji can actually hear her. “Everyone is screaming!”

And apparently, Eunji  _ can _ hear her because over the ridiculous volume levels, she older girl shouts, “We should scream things too!”

Wendy nods excitedly before taking a big breath. “I THINK WE JUST WON THE WORLD CUP!”

Eunji bursts out laughing at that. “I THINK SO TOO!”

“I THINK I’M GOING TO GO DEAF!”

“I THINK I’M ALREADY DEAF!”

“I THINK I’LL BELIEVE THIS WAS A DREAM TOMORROW!”

“I THINK I’M DREAMING RIGHT NOW!”

“I THINK MY LEGS ARE GOING TO GIVE OUT WHEN WE GET BACK TO THE HOTEL!”

“YOU’LL HAVE TO CARRY ME UP TO THE ROOM, WAN, BECAUSE MY LEGS ARE DEAD!”

_ Now or never, _ Wendy thinks. She takes one more heaving breath.

“I THINK I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU!”

“I’VE BEEN IN LOVE WITH YOU FOR A WHILE!”

Wendy gapes, staring wide-eyed up at the other defender in shock.

“Y-you,” Wendy stutters, and Eunji’s eyes crinkle up in amusement. “Are you serious?”

“One hundred percent,” Eunji asserts. She shrugs, a lazy smile coming to play at her lips. “I could kiss you right now.”

“… so why aren’t you?” Wendy asks, and it’s Eunji’s turn to look surprised.

Though, that’s all Eunji needs to sweep Wendy into her arms, kissing her senseless under the stadium lights and the cheers of the fans.

Now  _ that _ is a memorable first kiss.

 

**Five minutes post-World Cup Victory**

Yeri’s sure that at nineteen years of age, this amount of happiness and glee should be illegal— no one should be allowed to have attained the peak, the ecstasy of life, at only nineteen-years-old. And yet, here she is, standing dumbfounded in the middle of a soccer field, finally having escaped the dogpile of her hyperactive teammates—

—only to have another taller body drape over her smaller frame, completely engulfing her in a back hug.

“Joy,” Yeri sighs in contentment, slouching back into Joy’s embrace, utterly exhausted. She grins, tilting her head back to look up at Joy, her face heating up at the look of adoration in Joy’s eyes. Flushing, she pushes the fluttering feeling in her stomach to the back corner of her mind. 

“Aren’t you tired, unnie? You had to block a lot of goals.”

Joy chuckles, shrugging, “I mean, I was. But not anymore. Yeri is my battery!”

The smaller girl squeaks as Joy squeezes her torso.

“Did you see me?” Yeri asks as the two of them sway naturally on their feet. “Like when I faked out that forward and stole the ball back? Or when I nutmegged that midfielder and kicked the ball through her legs?”

“I only saw you,” Joy says with a smile, resting her chin on the top of Yeri’s head. “You did a good job of keeping balls out of my net.”

“Do you see me now?”

“Of course I do.”

“No, do you  _ really _ see me?”

“What do you mean, Yerim?” Joy asks in confusion, furrowing her brow.

“Like,” Yeri feels her face heat up as she tries to explain. “I don’t want you to see me as some kid that you have to take care of, Joy! I’m an adult now too, and I –” Yeri didn’t know that it was possible to be this embarrassed at her age either “– I want you to know that I can take care of you too now.” She stutters her way through the admission, a little bit more than flustered. “…If you want, that is.”

She can’t see Joy’s face, but by the way the older girl’s hold shifts and tightens, Yeri can guess that she’s grinning.

“I think,” Joy says with lift to her tone. “I like this ‘older’ Yeri a whole lot.”

“Y-you do?”

“Yup,” Joy says, popping the ‘p.’ “A whole lot.”

“…do you like the new Yeri enough to maybe go on a date with her?”

“Yeri,” The goalkeeper giggles, spinning Yeri around so that they stand face to face. “I would’ve gone on a date with the ‘old’ you. In the end, you’re still the same Yeri that I know and love.”

“So,” Yeri’s eyes are wide and hopeful and Joy inwardly swoons at the innocence in her gaze. “That’s a yes?”

And Joy laughs, leaning in to press a chaste kiss on Yeri’s cheek – not the forehead this time! Victory! – and brings her in for another hug.

“That’s a resounding  _ yes.” _

 

**Forty-five minutes post-World Cup Victory**

From her spot in the stands, Krystal cheers and whoops when the award ceremony starts, the music blaring out of the stadium speakers loud and clear. As her teammates step up to the podium, she grins, more than happy that her best friends made it— that they  _ won. _ No feeling could be better than this.

She’s no longer injured and can run on her ankle again – Krystal had been right when she’d told Seulgi that it was just a sprain – but since she’d been injured when World Cup rosters were being finalized, Krystal hadn’t been able to participate in the tournament. Regardless, she found that, much to her inherent surprise, there were no ill feelings involved— she’d taken over Somi’s training from Seulgi as soon as she was well enough, and Krystal had been more than willing to give up her spot on the roster to let the younger girl have her first shot at the World Cup.

“Hey,” Jessica, her older sister, pokes her arm. Krystal blinks, turning to face her sister curiously. Her older sibling had been the reason why Krystal had been interested in soccer in the first place: Jessica used to play on school teams, and had been a pretty dedicated member too. But that had been before Jessica had discovered her passion for fashion design, and Krystal had decided to pick up where her older sister’s dream had been halted.

“Are you okay?” Jessica asks her, motioning down to where Krystal’s teammates stood quietly, listening to the FIFA president give a speech.

Krystal stares at Jessica in confusion. “Yes? Why wouldn’t I be?”

Her older sister shrugs. “I dunno. I thought you might be feeling down since you aren’t able to stand with them.”

To be honest, the thought had never crossed Krystal’s mind.

So she shrugs in return. “I mean, I guess? It’s bittersweet, of course. But Somi did great during the game, and there’s always the next World Cup, after all.” Krystal flips her hair over her shoulder sassily. “I’m young, Jessi. I’ve got a ‘next time,’ trust me. Plus, Amber and Seulgi promised.”  _ And those two  _ always _ keep their promises. _

Jessica hums in agreement. “That’s true. Oh, wait. Where’s Amber?”

“What do you mean where’s—” Krystal frowns upon spying the empty space on the podium next to Joy. “Where the hell is that girl now—”

“Krystal!” A booming voice cuts her off.

“Amber?!”

Krystal gawks as the short-haired girl seemingly materializes at her shoulder, beaming at her with that stupid llama-like smile of hers.

“Krys! Quick! Get on!”

“I—  _ what?!” _ The tall midfielder’s eyes go wide as Amber crouches down in the space in front of her, quite clearly motioning for Krystal to get onto her back. “Why on earth would I do that?”

“I’m bringing you down to the podium, of course!” Amber sounds much too confident. “You didn’t think that we’d forget you, did you? Seulgi and I had this planned all along!”

“Then why am I getting onto your back?!” Krystal doesn’t realize the correlation; doesn’t realize that she had actually complied with the crazy request, carefully climbing onto the wide expanse of Amber’s back mid-sentence, until she registers that Jessica has her iPhone up and out, recording the entire exchange.

“I’m piggybacking you down! Y’know, cause you were injured and stuff!”

“I’m not even injured anymore!” Krystal rolls her eyes, still wringing her arms around Amber’s neck. “There’s literally no need for this!”

“It’s more dramatic, Krys,” Amber replies with a  _ duh _ type of tone, hoisting Krystal up higher. “Like a prince recusing a princess!”

“I don’t need rescuing,” Krystal deadpans as Amber races down the stairs of the stadium, trying to reach the podium before the end of the speech.

“Just go with it, Jung Soojung!”

 

**One hour post-World Cup Victory**

Eunae smiles as her teammates stare down at the gold medals around their necks in awe, and she chuckles to herself quietly as one by one, they start breaking down into tears as the gravity of everything that has just happened today slowly weighs in.

She’d love to cry too; she really would. The only problem is that Eunae’s not that big on crying, nor is she one to get overly emotional, so she settles for just beaming brightly at everyone— her teammates, the amazing staff, Coach Kwon and Irene who have joined them on the podium. And she’s just so  _ happy. _

There’s a little tinge though, that tickles her soul just a bit, when she sees Seulgi pull Irene close to her as confetti erupts around them, covering Irene’s ears to keep the older girl from being too stunned. And over to Eunae’s right, she spies Jennie and Jisoo, completely lost in their own world, staring into each other’s eyes with their own silent conversation— Eunae wonders what they’re talking about.

And in the meantime, Yeri has launched herself onto Joy’s back, whooping loudly into the taller girl’s ear. Eunae laughs at that; those two are just too funny.

But as much as she loves it out here, laughing and celebrating with her teammates, there’s someone  _ else _ that she wants to see at the moment.

So Eunae nudges Moonbyul, who’s messing around with SinB right next to her, and yells over the noise that she’s going to head into the locker room now. Moonbyul nods, mirth in her eyes, and Eunae heads off.

She doesn’t leave without telling Seulgi though. She calls her other captain’s name, and from where she’s engrossed with Irene, Seulgi meets Eunae’s gaze with a knowing expression.

“Get out of here, Eunae!” Seulgi singsongs at her teasingly, and Eunae bursts into laughter as she makes her way off of the podium.

“I’ll see you later, Cap!”

With that, Eunae makes her way off of the field, making sure to wave and bow and thank as many fans as she can before the exits the field.

And no sooner than when she opens the locker room’s heavy doors does Eunae feel herself get grabbed at the collar and shoved against a nearby wall.

A pair of lips slam against hers, and Eunae laughs into the kiss as Nahyun presses into Eunae’s slightly taller frame fervently, clutching at the hem of the soccer player’s jersey desperately.

“It’s great to see you too, babe,” Eunae jokes when they finally pull away for air. She stares endearingly at her girlfriend, more than glad that Nahyun had been able to come.

Nahyun rolls her eyes, pouting as she crosses her arms. “Really, Eunae? You just won the FIFA World Cup. How  _ else _ was I supposed to greet you?”

“Hey, I’m not complaining,” Eunae chuckles, a hand coming to rest at the small of Nahyun’s back, and she pulls the law student in closer. “That was hot.”

“Well aren’t you blunt today,” Nahyun giggles, fiddling with Eunae’s jersey. She’s about to say more, but the forward player silences her with another kiss.

“I just won the FIFA World Cup,” Eunae mumbles into her girlfriend’s lips. “How  _ else _ am I supposed to respond to you?” They separate again, and Eunae gingerly pushes a few strands of hair behind Nahyun’s ear.

“Were you okay with watching in here?” She asks worriedly. “I— it was fine, you know? If you wanted to watch from the stands with everyone else.”

“Oh, Eunae, it was lovely watching in here!” Nahyun soothes. “Besides, it was too loud and hot outside anyways. Plus, I could actually hear the commentary about how great my girlfriend was,” she says with a wink. “Don’t worry, Eunae. I know that you’re not ready yet, and that’s fine. I know that the day will come— I believe in you. And until you’re ready to let the world know about us, I’ll be right here, supporting you every step of the way. I can wait a little longer.”

“I don’t deserve you,” Eunae sighs, leaning into bury her face into Nahyun’s shoulder. “But babe, with words like that, you might not be waiting for very much longer.”

 

**Five hours post-World Cup Victory**

“Jennie! You’ve really stepped up your game for this year’s FIFA World Cup! What do you think was the biggest factor in solidifying your play style this go around?”

Jennie grins, shrugging her shoulders at the interviewer and her camera who were roaming around their celebration party.

“It’s been a long journey, and I only joined the National Team two years ago, so my first year on the team was really me testing out the ropes. But ever since that first year, I’ve been able to solidify my position a little bit more, especially when I’m playing with such talented players that I’ve looked up to for a long time, like Seulgi, Moonbyul, and Eunae. I’ve been able to adjust to their style and settle in, so I think that’s one of the biggest factors.”

“And what about the other big factor?”

The midfielder raises an eyebrow, a quirk to her lips. “The ‘other’ factor?”

“Don’t play coy, Jennie Kim!” The interviewer laughs. “I’m talking about the  _ other _ factor!”

“Oh!” Realization dawns on Jennie’s face, and she chuckles, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head. “ _ That  _ factor! It’s been nothing but great!” There’s an undeniable spark in her eye. “Having a girlfriend on the team with me is nothing short of amazing. Jisoo’s been my best friend for such a long time, and the day I realized that there was something  _ more _ to our relationship is probably the day I’d cite as the turning point of my life.”

“You two must love each other very much,” the interviewer nods.

“Of course!” Jennie beams. “She’s everything to me. I think… I did a lot of searching this past year. I was looking for something to fill this— this – I don’t know how to describe it – this  _ gap _ , and Jisoo was the missing puzzle piece.”

“Do you mean it?”

Jisoo giggles, appearing on Jennie’s arm.

“Couldn’t mean it more,” Jennie replies with an assertive nod.

“That’s great guys!” The interview exclaims, and a minute later, after another round of congratulations, she bows and moves on to the next pair of targets.

“So I’m your missing puzzle piece,” Jisoo says teasingly, leaning over and playing with Jennie’s fingers.

“Yeah,” Jennie smiles, slinging an arm around Jisoo’s shoulders. “Exactly like that. But softer. Puzzle pieces are kinda rough on the edges.  _ You _ , Miss Jisoo, are very soft.”

“How much have you had to drink?” Jisoo chuckles, poking Jennie’s stomach gently, and the midfielder laughs, pulling away with a simple shrug.

“Honestly, not enough.”

“Hmm…” The purple-haired defender muses, humming to herself with a thoughtful finger on her lip. “How about we get more drinks and take them up to the hotel room? We can enjoy them on the balcony. It’s a nice summer night.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Jennie laughs, leading them over to the bar.

 

**Five hours and thirty minutes post-World Cup Victory**

Lisa’s pretty much over the moon at this point. She just won the World Cup with two of her best friends at her side, and her family, who flew all the way over from Thailand, was in the stands to see her team win. Really, you can’t get much better than this.

_ Well, _ Lisa shrugs to herself, biting her lip as her spirits dampen a bit,  _ it really could be. _

She stares down into the drink that Jennie had placed into her hand a few minutes ago, still not having taken a sip yet. The red liquid gleams back at her, and Lisa frowns.

In front of her, her parents are engaging in talk with Jennie’s family, eagerly catching up to speed with their daily lives in English. Meanwhile, Jennie and Jisoo have disappeared off to  _ who knows where? _ But Lisa really isn’t surprised.

It’s then that the Thai girl hears the telltale  _ ding!  _ of her phone, and perhaps Lisa is a bit  _ too _ enthusiastic to pull away from the buzz and pure excitement of the party. But she slips outside anyways, waggling her phone at her mother, who gives her a knowing smile and waves her off.

Five minutes later, Lisa finds herself standing in the front of their hotel, quickly dialing a familiar number and waiting in anticipation for the line to pick up.

“…Lisa? Oh my goodness, congratulations! I knew you could do it, babe!”

“Rosie,” Lisa smiles up at the glittering night sky at the sound of Rosé’s voice. “Sorry I didn’t call earlier. Everything happened so fast.”

Soft laughter is heard from the other end of the line.

“Don’t worry about it, Lisa,” Rosé comforts soothingly. “I understand.” She giggles. “After all, you were just as understanding during my concerts and award ceremonies. Anyways, how’s the best night of your life going?”

“Well,” Lisa pouts. “It  _ was _ going pretty great, but…” she trails off. “You’re not here, Rosie. I don’t know… it’s just not the same, I guess. I keep seeing my teammates celebrating with their significant others – I don’t even know  _ where _ Jisoo and Jennie went – and yeah, it feels special, but it would be that  _ much more _ special if you were here. And I know that you have a recording tonight but—”

_ Click. _

Lisa feels her heart drop when the line goes dead. She stares dejectedly at the ground, tears welling up.

“Well,” a warm voice says from behind her, slightly out of breath. “What if I told my manager  _ screw that recording, my  _ girlfriend  _ just won the FIFA World Cup _ ?”

Gasping, Lisa spins around, something like  _ hope _ churning in her stomach, and another body slams into her own, a pair of familiar arms wrapping around her waist, a face burying itself into her neck, lips pressing into the skin there.

“Rosé?” Lisa exclaims, a smile appearing as her girlfriend giggles into her neck. “You— you made it? You really did that for me?”

The Australian girl blushed. “I just got here. I—” Rosé takes a shuddering breath, “It didn’t feel right. I hated how I wasn’t even able to attend the game, how I wasn’t able to support you the way that a girlfriend should. And I hated how I was in the middle of an interview when the news came in that you won, so I couldn’t even—”

Lisa’s eyes grow wide as she sees Rosé grow teary.

“I’m  _ so _ sorry, Lisa,” Rosé whimpers, and Lisa hastily shakes her head. “I’m so sorry that I’m so busy all the time, and yet you’re still so  _ understanding _ and—

“Rosie,” Lisa hushes, forcing the idol to silence herself. Cupping her girlfriend’s cheek, Lisa beams. “Park Chaeyoung, you _ came _ . Against all odds, against everything you should have done, you  _ came. _ So you missed the game. So what? You  _ came. _ For  _ me, _ you’re dorky jock girlfriend who doesn’t deserve you whatsoever.”

“Don’t say that,” Rosé protests, only to be silenced into a kiss when Lisa surges forward.

“Let’s go inside,” Lisa murmurs, and Rosé nods with a smile. “My teammates miss you.”

“Wendy’s there, right?” The Australian girl asks as they make their way back into the hotel.

Lisa laughs, nodding. “Yeah, Rosie, our team mom and your ‘sister from another mister’ is inside too.”

 

**Seven hours post-World Cup Victory**

“We’re really ditching your celebration party?” Solar asks incredulously as Moonbyul ushers her into the car. “I mean, isn’t this something you were looking forward to, I don’t know, your whole life?”

“Yeah, but we were there for two hours anyways. But  _ this,” _ Moonbyul smirks, “is something that I’ve been looking forward to even more.”

“Just  _ where _ are we going?” Solar laughs, buckling up at Moonbyul’s insistence. “You’ve got me in the car, and yet you still haven’t told me.”

“So,” Moonbyul drawls. “Remember how we put our honeymoon on hold because I was so focused on training for the World Cup?”

“ _ No.”  _ Solar gapes. “You’re kidding me.”

“Ready to get on a plane to Hawaii?” Moonbyul asks with a grin, adjusting the steering wheel.

“Let’s ditch this place!” Solar shouts, and with that Moonbyul laughs and steps on the acceleration.

 

**Twelve hours post-World Cup Victory**

“Do you think Solar and Moonbyul left this place already?” Irene asks blearily, blinking as sunlight streams in from the hotel window.

“They probably left hours ago,” Seulgi replies with a smirk. She says nothing more, deciding to bask in the view in front of her— of Irene with the pure white blankets pulled up to her chin, of the way her eyes seem to dance in the early morning light, in the way that she stares back at Seulgi looking just as much in love as Seulgi feels.

“So we don’t have to do anything today, right?” Irene murmurs, and Seulgi shakes her head, pulling Irene in closer to tuck the smaller girl under her chin.

“Nope. We get today off.” Seulgi chuckles at the soft  _ yay _ that leaves Irene’s lips. “Get ready though. As soon as we get back to Seoul, it’s going to be nonstop celebrations. The team just won an international tournament, and like it or not, I’m dragging you as my plus one to every single event.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Irene whispers into the crook of Seulgi’s neck. “Now, can we get more sleep? I’m really tired out—”

“It was  _ that _ good, huh?” Seulgi grins cheekily before letting out an  _ oomph _ as her girlfriend lightly punches her stomach.

“Don’t get too cocky, Kang Seulgi.”

 


	4. We Blaze The Night With All We've Been Waiting For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the last stretch

**AN: Happy 1 year anniversary to this fic!!! I hope everyone enjoys!!!**

\--

**1 week post World Cup**

**_The World Cup Celebration Continues On, Even Heading Over to the Pop Idol Scene!_ **

_ Following the South Korean Women’s National Soccer Team’s historical victory at the FIFA World Cup last Saturday, it seems like all of South Korea’s media want in on the celebration! All twenty-two star players on the National Team have taken part in interviews, guested on shows, and attended celebration parties all week to celebrate their win! Of course, the celebration can’t last forever— the girls have stated that practice starts up again for them this coming Monday, and while they’ve enjoyed their time in the direct center of the spotlight during this past week, they’re all eager to get back to training in preparation for the Summer Olympics to be held next year! Should they win the upcoming Olympic gold medals, they’ll be making history as the first ever team to win the World Cup and Olympics back-to-back! That being said, the festivities aren’t over just yet! Our soccer stars have all been invited to the nation’s idol’s concert by Rosé herself! We all hope that they have a blast! We also wish Moonbyul and her wife, highly-acclaimed surgeon, Solar, a great honeymoon! _

The loud cheers of the concert’s enthusiastic crowd brings a wide grin to Irene’s face, laughing to herself as she witnesses the South Korean Women’s National Soccer Team good around onstage with none other than the internationally famous idol, Rosé, herself. Being good friends with virtually all of the National Team, Rosé had personally invited the members to celebrate with her onstage, following their immense win at the FIFA World Cup only a week prior— perhaps it was the hype of finally bringing the cup home again, but the entire country’s excitement had yet to die down, although none of the players were complaining.

It brings a smile to Irene’s face, seeing Seulgi so happy, jumping up and down with her members, bobbing her head so energetically to Rosé music.

Meanwhile, Irene herself remains in the wings of the stage, enjoying the music on her own while Coach Kwon and the girls dance with the crowd. She’d been invited to join them, Rosé and Seulgi both having pouted when Irene had politely refused, but she doesn't feel too bad for missing out-- large were never quite her thing, even while she was at the height of her popularity during “Bae Joohyun’s” era.

In all complete honesty, she's more than content with swaying casually on her feet from the sidelines.

She remains transfixed in the music, closing her eyes and enjoying herself, when a small hand taps her shoulder lightly, and Irene finds herself opening her eyes to see the disturber.

“Irene-unnie! Enjoying yourself?”

“Oh my god,” the part-time coach’s eyes go wide as she whirls around. “Chuu?!”

“The one and only!” Chuu grins, waving with her left hand, and Irene soaks in the appearance of the young girl who she hasn't seen in literal  _ years. _ For the most part, Chuu hadn't changed a bit in the two years that the younger girl hadn't been a part of Irene’s life— her signature bangs remain as untouched as the day Irene saw her off, and Chuu’s telltale expensive camera that still hangs around her neck, a careful hand steadying it. 

“It’s been quite a long time, unnie!”

“It has!” Irene exclaims excitedly, attempting to be heard over all the noise. She quickly draws Chuu in for a hug, patting the younger girl’s back before pulling apart. “You look well! How has everything been? Are you finally back from the United States?”

“Honestly, I've never been better!” Chuu says enthusiastically. It's then that Irene realizes that Chuu’s infectious smile hasn't changed in the slightest, and it’s this knowledge that sends Irene’s heart tugging a little, memories swirling through her mind. “Life is really good, unnie! And yes, I'm finally back from the US—  _ we’re  _ finally back from the US, that is.”

Irene nods, and she’s suddenly taken back to slightly earlier this week, thinking back to a discussion she’d overheard between Coach Kwon and a higher up with a National Team representative from the company.

“Say, Chuu?” Irene furrows her brow, motioning for Chuu to come closer and being careful to mind the expensive camera. “I've been hearing some rumors recently… and I'm guessing that your presence here in South Korea confirms it, but I’m still really curious. Will—”

“Shhh!”

Irene blinks in surprise, and Chuu laughs as she steps backward, index finger still resting on her lips.

“Nothing’s actually set in stone yet,” Chuu explains in response to Irene’s bewildered expression, which quickly melts into one of understanding at Chuu’s explanation. Chuu winks playfully. “So unfortunately, I can't say much as of right now, but I'll just say that discussions are in the air. You'll see soon!”

“I see,” Irene nods. Briefly, she hears the music fade, and Rosé’s musical voice - yes, she sounds absolutely lyrical even while merely addressing the audience - echoes through the arena, followed by the National Team’s cheers. “By the way, why are you  _ here,  _ Chuu—”

Irene’s startled into silence yet again by the sound of a camera shutter, and a fleeting bright light.

Chuu’s laugh fills the air again, and Irene can't help but smile at the sound.

“I was hired as a photographer for this show today by Rosé’s management,” Chuu chirps, fixing her camera and moving past Irene towards the stage. “It’s the final show in her Asia concert tour, so today’s especially special!” Irene thinks that Chuu looks incredibly bubbly today— it’s clear that she’s gotten to a better place over the years. “It's the last few song, so I have to go take pics now, but I’ll find you afterward, unnie!”

“Sounds like a plan,” Irene chuckles, waving off the hyperactive photographer. “I'll see you later!”

\--

“It was so much fun, Hyun!” Seulgi gushes as the rest of the team comes filing offstage as Rosé remains to wrap up the concert with an encore song. “Like, all of our pre-game dance sessions, but ten times better! Plus, Lisa got to stare openly at her girlfriend for five whole songs, and literally no one in that audience could blame or question anything.”

“I saw!” Irene giggles, accompanying Seulgi back to the changing rooms, where the girls could change out of their shirts that read  _ WORLD CHAMPIONS _ in all capital letters. “I could see her heart eyes from all the way backstage! I beg the entire arena could tell that Lisa’s utterly whipped for Rosie, and I’d advise her to cool it, but I don't think it's a problem because literally everyone in that audience is whipped for Rosé too.”

“Her songs are pretty addictive,” Seulgi quips, pushing open the changing room entrance, where some of the members were already changing back to more casual clothes. “Like, earworm addictive. And others are just so touching, especially when she plays the acoustic guitar!”

“Hey, don't go looking at other girls, Kang Seulgi!” Irene joking snaps, her tone playfully jealous, even going as far as to shove Seulgi lightly. The team captain laughs, playing along with her girlfriend’s antics and stumbling backwards into a nearby shelf before flopping onto the ground.

“Oh, how you pain me so!” Seulgi gasps dramatically from her spot on the floor, and Irene tips back her head to laugh before making way to help her stand up. She takes Irene’s hand without hesitation, allowing Irene to pull her up and immediately wrapping her arms around the smaller girl, mumbling into Irene’s hair, “You know you’re the only one I see, Hyun!”

Irene giggles once more, nodding into the crook of Seulgi’s neck. 

“I know, Seul, don't worry.”

“Yeah, you keep your eyes firmly on Irene, KangSeul!” Lisa shouts from the other side of the room, eyes gleaming with mirth. It's evident that she's trying to covering up a laugh, especially as Jennie and Jisoo smirk from a few feet away. “Rosie is mine, mine, mine!”

“Someone is protective,” Jennie snickers.

“All of you with significant others give me a headache!” SinB complains loudly from where she sits in the corner, and beside her, Chungha barks out a laugh, patting the younger, pouting girl on the back.

“Just wait until you find yourself someone, kid,” Chungha chuckles. SinB rolls her eyes.

“Listen, just because you’ve reconnected with a friend from your club team doesn’t mean that—”

“Let’s just all be glad that Moonbyul’s still on her honeymoon with Solar!” Tzuyu interrupts. There’s a moment of silence, and suddenly the room erupts into laughter at the raw desperation in the young member’s tone.

“She’s got a point!” Seulgi laughs, wiping away tears. “Just don’t let Byul hear that!”

\--

**@lalimario: just spent the best concert of my life next to my favorite girl!**

**@rosiefan42: @lalimario omg Lisa and Rosé are perfect together!!!**

**@lisapriyaluv: @rosiefan42 @lalimario I hope we’ll see their wedding soon wahhh**

**@rosiefan42: @lisapriyaluv OMG GURL THE REAL JENNIE, SEULGI, AND EUNAE JUST LIKED YOUR TWEET**

Jennie cracks up, high fiving Seulgi and Eunae as their laughs rise even higher than the loud noise in the changing room.

“Yah, Lisa! Your own fans want you and Rosie to get married already!” Jennie shouts, nearly falling onto Eunae in hysterics.

Wild whistles fill the space, even Irene and Coach Kwon joining in the teasing, giving the bright red Lisa matching pats on the back.

“Marriage is quite the commitment,” Coach Kwon comments nonchalantly.

Irene nods in agreement. “That’s true. I’m in awe of you, Lisa! I hope you both live happily until the end of your days.”

“G-guys, cut it out!”

\--

Irene allows herself to be swept up in the excitement as they team makes their way out to their cars in the back parking lot, the girls still all chattering energetically amongst themselves. They’d already said goodnight to Rosé and Lisa, who had opted to go home with her girlfriend. Meanwhile, Irene links arms with Seulgi as they walk, discussing their favorite parts of the concert.

“Okay, but Boombayah was definitely the most hype song of the night,” Seulgi says in a definitive manner, only for Irene to shake her head.

“Did you hear the  _ crowd _ during Ddu-du Ddu-du though? They were absolutely cheering louder,” Irene protests. “I—”

“Irene-unnie!”

“Oh, Chuu!”

Seulgi raises an eyebrow as Irene pulls away from her arm, the older girl eagerly turning around to greet the approaching newcomer. The captain only feels more confused as she sees Irene easily touch the stranger’s forearm in a farewell.

“We need to meet up and reconnect sometime soon, unnie!”

“We do! Let’s get in touch, yeah?”

“Of course! I’ll call you! Have you changed your number, or…?”

Irene laughs, placing a gentle hand on the photographer’s shoulder.

“It hasn’t changed at all. It’ll be great to catch up! I’ll see you around?”

“That sounds great!” Chuu takes a step back, flashing Irene a quick smile and bowing. “I’ll see you soon!”

“And Chuu?”

“Yes, unnie?”

Irene sighs, although from Seulgi’s position, she notices that it isn’t a disappointed one. Instead, the part-time coach sounds… content? Maybe even contemplative?

“You’ve grown up too fast, Chuu.” Irene chuckles. “Way too fast.”

Chuu’s responding smile is sheepish, perhaps even lamenting, as she raises a hand to scratch the back of her head.

“I didn’t have much of a choice in the matter, unnie,” Chuu says, and Seulgi is stunned by the solemnity of the entire exchange. Just how did Irene know this girl? “But I don’t have any regrets, y’know? Everything I did, all the growing up I had to do… It’s all been worth it.”

“I see,” Irene responds, her gaze turning gentle. “That’s good, that you have no regrets.”

They say goodbye after that, and Irene returns to Seulgi’s side with ease, leading them back to walking to the parking lot like the exchange with the unknown girl had never happened.

“Hyun?” Seulgi inquires, after exchanging a few moments of silence. “Who was that girl?”

“Hm?” Irene blinks, snapping out of a reverie. Seulgi chuckles softly; even in Irene’s rare moments of absentmindedness, her girlfriend is adorable. “I’m sorry, Seulgi, I was too caught up in my thoughts. What did you ask me?”

“I was just curious who that girl was.”

“Oh!” Understanding overtakes Irene’s features, and she smiles up at Seulgi. “She’s an old friend of mine, from the days I was starting out my work as a physical therapist. I haven’t seen her in a few years, which is why she asked me to meet and catch up. She’s a professional photographer, and she had been hired to take pictures of Rosé.”

Seulgi nods. “I see, I see. So I’m assuming you haven’t decided on when you’ll meet up yet?”

“Not yet,” Irene shrugs. “We’ll see when we have the time. Until then, are you ready for practice on Monday? I’ve been developing these new drills! I’m sure you’ll  _ love _ them.”

Seulgi huffs, swinging an arm over Irene’s shoulder and laughing.

“If by  _ love _ , you mean will have the girls and I grunting on the turf in pain, then you’re probably correct!”

\--

Monday arrives all too fast, and Seulgi finds herself, almost as expected, surrounded on the stadium turf by a group of groaning girls now lying on the grass in pain. She’s yet to give in yet, fixing Irene with a raised eyebrow. The older girl remains to the side, watching them with amusement sprinkled in her eyes.

“Holding squats, Hyun?” Seulgi calls over. “Really? You’ve put me through much worse than this!”

“But not the rest of us!” Yeri snaps. She tapped out five minutes ago, sprawled out spontaneously next to Joy, who’s resulted to closing her eyes and thinking of a more innocent era. “We are weaklings compared to ye!”

Irene smirks. “Think you can beat your time, Seul? Mind you that there’s no water break until everyone has reached their limit.”

More groans emerge from the heaps of bodies.

“Uh… perhaps beating my record can wait for another day,” Seulgi says sheepishly, haphazardly falling backwards and joining her members on the ground. “Teamwork and bonding, y’know?”

“What a good captain you are,” Irene says teasingly before waving her hand in dismissal. “Fair enough, time for a water break, everyone! We’ll do the regular scrimmage afterward, and you have permission to go a bit easier on yourself today, but  _ only _ today. Regular intensity tomorrow.”

“We love you, Coach Irene!” Somi shouts as she stumbles to her feet and rushes over to grab her water bottle for a refill. The rest of the team follows soon after, although Seulgi opts to trudge over to Irene and drape herself over the smaller girl.

“You’re harsh,” Seulgi drawls, though her tone sounds light, and Irene more than know that she’s kidding. Seulgi hadn’t been wrong when she’d said that Irene had put her through worse. Case and point: hour-long wall sits.

“Do you think it’s too much?” Irene frowns, genuinely worried about being too hard on the girls.

Seulgi shakes her head. “Nah, I don’t think so. I mean, I’ve never seen Jennie so fired up for a challenge before! And it’s not like you’re forcing them to do it for very long. I mean, a minimum of thirty seconds is definitely a good plan. You’re easing them into it!”

Irene sighs in relief, turning in Seulgi’s embrace and planting a kiss on the taller girl’s cheek.

“If you say so,” she says, a soft smile on her lips. “But never hesitate to tell me if you think my exercises are too much.”

Seulgi grins.

“Will do. So scrimmages start in ten?”

“Yup, sounds about right. Everyone’s already back on their feet and passing balls to each other, after all.” Irene nods over to where Joy and Tzuyu are already back in goal, having a competition to see who can block the most attempts on goal, the catch being Yeri, Chungha, Krystal, and Yuju all shooting at the same time.

“Ah, but you have that meeting with that representative from K League, right?” Seulgi comments, recalling how Irene had mentioned that during their walk to the stadium this morning. K League, or the Korea Professional Football League, is South Korea’s professional football association, or better known to coaches and players as The Higher Ups. “Are they finally coming to talk to you?”

“I think so,” Irene says, a full-on beam breaking out across her face as Seulgi whoops in excitement at her words. “At least, I think that’s one of the major topics that’s going to be discussed today with both Coach Kwon and I. Can you handle things from here?”

“Absolutely,” Seulgi asserts confidently. “I’m not one of the team captains for nothing, after all!”

\--

It’s approaching the end of the scrimmage when SinB looks over to Momo, who has been seated on the bench for the past fifteen minutes, waiting for her turn to get rotated in. She calls up to Jennie, who acts as captain for her side of the team.

“Jennie! I think it’s time for Momo and me to switch out in the rotation!”

“Sounds good, SinB!” Jennie calls, receiving the ball from Wheein and kicking it backwards towards the defenders in an attempt to make more room for passing. “Momo! You’re getting swapped in!”

“SinB, while you’re out, do you mine filling up the water jugs?” Seulgi asks from where she stands on the opposing side of the field. “We were basically empty by the end of that last water break.”

“Sure thing, Cap!”

SinB jogs off the field, casually high-fiving Momo as they pass each other, before making her way over to where the water jug sits on the metal bench fieldside. She picks up the orange container, and sure enough, it’s as light as a feather, a refill definitely in order.

Putting on her sweater, she gingerly picks up the container and walks off to refill it.

She passes by Coach Kwon, who is jogging through the hallways to the field, and SinB waves as she strolls by, container in one hand. There’s nothing out of the ordinary really— until she comes around the corner and sees a sight that has her raising an eyebrow.

“Huh…?” SinB stares in confusion. She shrugs to herself, pulling her phone out of her sweater pocket.

A second passes and she pockets the device again, returning on route to refill the container.

\--

Tuesday practice comes and goes as per usual, and Seulgi finds herself cleaning up the cones after practice with Irene as the other girls meander towards the locker rooms.

“Hyun, are you up for getting dinner today?” Seulgi asks the coach as they’re stacking the cones up. “It’s been a while since we last went out just the two of us.”

“Um,” Irene purses her lips, frowning. “I’m sorry, Seul, but I made plans to go get dinner with Jiwoo today.”

“Jiwoo?” The name sounds foreign to Seulgi’s ears.

“The old friend I saw at Rosé’s concert,” Irene explains, and Seulgi nods. “You might’ve heard me call her Chuu because that’s her nickname.”

“Ah, I see…”

“I’m sorry, Seul,” Irene looks terribly guilty, and Seulgi forces a smile. “I completely forgot to tell you after the meeting yesterday…”

“It’s fine, Hyun!” Seulgi shrugs in an attempt to sound nonchalant. “It’s just one day, no problem.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. Are you going soon?”

“I…” Irene nods. “Yeah. Chuu’s picking me up.”

Fifteen minutes later, Seulgi waves Irene off as the older girl gets into a black sports car. She can’t help but cock her head in befuddlement as the car drives into the distance.

_ The driver sure didn’t look like Chuu…? _

\--

Seulgi sees the tweet later that night though—

**@chuuwu: @baerene unnie! I had a lot of fun tonight! Thank you for taking the time to meet up with me!**

**@baerene: @chuuwu no problem, my beloved dongsaengie! We’ll see each other again soon!**

“Huh,” Seulgi mumbles to herself, shrugging slightly before deciding that it must’ve been a trick of the light earlier, and that she’s been overthinking way too much over the past hour. “I suppose it really had been Chuu then.”

She goes to sleep soon after, but not without replying to Irene’s message, which lights up her phone amidst the dark room, the only source of light.

**Baeby <3: good night, Seul! Sleep well, and I’ll see you tomorrow!**

**Seulgom: night night, Hyun! Get lots of rest, and I hope you had fun at your dinner!**

**Baeby <3: I did! Rest well, Seul, it’s another day of practice!**

**Seulgom: <3 <3 <3**

**Baeby; <3 <3 <3 mwah~**

\--

Irene stays late after practice on Wednesday, and Seulgi opts for hanging out with Eunae and YooA.

“No Irene today?” Eunae asks, leaning against the railing as Seulgi laces up her sneakers on the stairs leading up to the stadium. YooA perks up in interest at the question— it’s not often to see Seulgi without Irene by her side.

Seulgi shakes her head with a sigh. “No Irene. She’s has another meeting today. Apparently all those behind-closed-doors discussions with Coach Kwon weren’t sufficient, so now they’re meeting with an entire board.”

YooA’s brow furrows in confusion.

“About what?”

“I have no idea,” Seulgi’s chest heaves as she forces herself to her feet. “I really have no clue, honestly. She has meeting almost daily these days— she’s got two lined up for tomorrow as well. I feel like something is going on, but she won’t let me know what’s up.”

“I see,” Eunae muses, and she beckons for Seulgi and YooA to follow after her easy jog. “Perhaps something is happening in the League? Is there a new member joining?”

“I don’t remember this much discrepancy and secrecy happening for a simple player contract though,” YooA says, her smile upturning into a frown. “There certainly wasn’t when I was called up. Even Somi didn’t have this kind of turnout, and she was added incredibly close to the World Cup.”

“That’s true as well,” Seulgi mutters before deciding to push away her thoughts. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see then, right?”

She receives two twin nods in agreement.

“Anyway,” Seulgi shrugs, speeding up her pace slightly, and Eunae and YooA follow suit. “How’s Nahyun doing these days, Eunae?”

“She’s doing well! Busy, but well,” the tall forward relays with a puff of her cheek. “The other day she was apparently thrown right into this big classified case. I don’t know much about it, just that her side is trying to sue a man, and that this particular guy is particularly stubborn and adamant about not giving in.”

“Damn,” Seulgi winces, “Sounds like an uphill battle. Nahyun’s a skilled lawyer though, so I’m sure she’ll come out on top of the conflict.”

“I sure hope so,” Eunae agrees. “I’ve never seen her so passionate about a case before, in all honesty. Like, she’s been called to so many cases, but this one has just gotten her particularly riled up. And while I’m glad she’s talented at what she does, it does mean that she’s working long nights, and I’m worried about her health. She can take care of herself, I know, but I don’t want her passing out from overexertion or something.”

“I hope not too,” Seulgi says sympathetically. Her thoughts drift back to Irene, toiling away in meeting after meeting.

_ I hope things are okay, Hyun. _

\--

Seulgi’s about to go to sleep on Thursday when her phone buzzes and she sees a text from Irene.

**Bae: Seul, can I come over?**

**Seul: Of course you can**

Ten minutes later, Seulgi opens the door for Irene, who looks exhausted in every single sense of the word. Her usual impeccable hair is rumpled – Seulgi knows that Irene had been running her fingers through it out of stress – and there are bags under her eyes that lack the usual shine that Seulgi’s been missing these past few days.

“Can we just sleep?” Irene croaks out, voice hoarse.

Seulgi nods wordlessly, when in reality all she wants to do is ask Irene what’s wrong. Judging by the older girl’s unkempt appearance though, Irene is definitely not in the mood for questions— something tells Seulgi that she’s had enough of those today for a whole lifetime.

“Let’s go get you changed and head off to bed,” Seulgi murmurs, and she ushers Irene silently down the hallway, making sure not to wake up Wendy in her own bedroom along the way.

\--

Friday finally comes around, and it’s not a good day for Irene.

It madness starts when she wakes up to her phone being blown up by emails from the League and texts from certain representatives at the unholy hour of 4AM in the morning. Giving the messages a quick once over, and heaves out a sigh— things just aren’t getting easier. She casts a guilty look at the girl sleeping right behind her, slipping out of Seulgi’s arms, being careful not to wake her up.

(Two hours later, Seulgi wakes up feeling empty as she stares at the empty side of the bed, her heart sinking the more she stares).

Irene sits on the sidelines during practice, occasionally giving her input as Coach Kwon takes charge of the girls today, but Seulgi looks find herself looking past the head coach to see her girlfriend staring out blankly into the distance, lost in her own thoughts.

It’s then that she sees the older girl’s phone buzz, Irene picking up the device in a hurry and dashing out to take the call.

Seulgi frowns.

_ What’s going on, Joohyun? _

Even during their halfway break, Irene doesn’t make a reappearance, and Seulgi sighs picking up her sweater and seating herself a few rows up on the bleachers. She pulls her phone out of her pocket, tapping open twitter.

Not even a minute later, however, she receives a text moment later from a number she doesn’t recognize.

**Unknown: You Might Want To See This**

**Unknown: [picture attached]**

\--

“What is this?” Seulgi asks lowly, cornering Irene outside the stadium later that day, after practice is over and Seulgi has had enough. In her hand is her phone, the screen frozen on the picture she’d received earlier that day. “Who is she?”

Irene stares at the picture in shock. “How the—”

“Who is she, Irene?!”

“She's none of your concern, Seulgi,” Irene says, her tone suddenly taking on an edge. Had Seulgi not already been in hysterics, not knowing why Irene had been keeping secrets, she would've flinched. “You don’t have to worry about it.”

“How can I  _ not _ worry?!” Seulgi’s eyes are wide, frustration running through every ounce of her body. “You aren't telling me  _ anything _ , Irene! Nothing about the meetings, nothing about your dinner with Jiwoo--  _ did _ you even have dinner with  _ Jiwoo? _ Because she wasn't the girl who picked you up on Tuesday. What even is your relationship with her? Why are you suddenly so willing to drop everything to meet with her, without even telling me until right before? And  _ who the hell  _ was that girl you were hugging in the picture I received?!”

“It's  _ none of your business, Kang Seulgi,” _ Irene hisses, positively seething. Her voice is icy cold, a side to Irene that Seulgi has never witnessed before. “Stop putting yourself in instances where you have no reason to be.”

“There is clearly  _ something _ going on!” Seulgi exclaims, hands coming up to tangle in her hair in utter exasperation. “Why won’t you just  _ tell me, _ Irene?! You’ve been neglecting everything this week to run off to do God-knows-what, you’ve been hiding things to yourself and—”

The glare that Irene shoots her sends Seulgi reeling backwards.

She’s never seen Irene look so  _ angry _ before.

“Go away, Seulgi,” Irene says through gritted teeth.

Seulgi clamps her mouth shut, a feeling of doom creeping up her body, from her toes to the core of her heart. There’s a churning, rolling in her stomach of  _ fear, _ like she had just lost something crucial.

_ I fucked up. _

“Okay,” Seulgi manages to utter out weakly, nodding shortly before hastily shouldering her bag and dashing out of the locker room. 

She doesn’t dare look back.

(Alone in the locker room, Irene finally allows all the events that just took place to sink in. 

_ Shit. _

She crumbles to her knees and cries, silently sobbing into her palms. From where it’s fallen to the ground beside her, her phone begins to ring, but she ignores it.

She doesn’t know how much time passes until the locker room door opens once more.

“Irene-unnie? They’re looking for you in the boardroom— oh no…”

Two pairs of arms wrap around her, murmurs asking  _ what’s wrong, what’s going on? _ but Irene shakes her head and explains nothing, whispering quiet apologies to someone who isn’t around to hear them.)

\--

Seulgi finds herself lying awake at night on her couch, head rested in Wendy’s lap as the two of them watch the iconic sports movie,  _ Space Jam _ as midnight approaches. The team captain’s close friend sighs as she sees Seulgi’s gaze wander from the TV screen to the ceiling yet again.

“Seul,” Wendy says gently, pausing the movie and nudging the other girl with a hand. “You agreed to watch something funny in order to bring your spirits up, but right now we’re watching freaking  _ Michael Jordan _ playing basketball with characters from  _ Looney Tunes _ and you haven’t even smiled once!”

“I did too smile!” Seulgi protests half-heartedly, though she shuts her mouth at the raised eyebrow that Wendy sends her way.

“Yeah, you snorted while watching Michael Jordan fail at baseball,” Wendy deadpans, and Seulgi rolls her eyes. “Really, Seul, what’s wrong?”

“…I think Hyun and I just had our first real fight,” Seulgi murmurs, and she hears Wendy’s brief intake of breath before resuming its steady, pulsing rhythm. “I just don’t know what to do now, Wan… I feel so guilty, and I hadn’t been thinking about the consequences when I’d cornered her like that in the locker room…”

Oh, Seul,” Wendy smiles gently, smoothing out the creases on Seulgi’s forehead. “You were both under stress when that confrontation happened. Yes, it definitely was not ideal, but I’m sure that Irene’s feeling just like you are right now— you know how she is.”

“What should I do, Wan?” Seulgi asks weakly, pushing herself to a sitting position, only to sag back down onto the couch in the other direction. “I… this is the first relationship that I’m really invested in – we both know that Krystal and I agreeing to date each other to get men our backs back in high school doesn’t actually count – but  _ god, _ Wan, I love Irene so much… I don’t want to lose her because I was stupid.”

“Then make it up to her,” Wendy says simply, patting Seulgi’s leg. “You’re not dumb, Seulgi. You know better than to make promises that you can’t keep, so maybe it’s time to make yourself and Irene another one— one that you know you both can keep from now on.”

“I—” Seulgi nods, comprehension dawning. “I… I think I know where you’re coming from.”

“Great!” Wendy beams before sharply kicking Seulgi to sit up straight again. “Now that that’s done, and you’re finally coming out of your moping phase, let’s finish  _ Space Jam! _ You can think more tomorrow,  _ after _ we’ve seen Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes characters save the universe, and  _ after _ you’ve had a good rest.”

Seulgi chuckles.

“Sounds like a plan, Wan. Also… thank you. For always being near, for always putting up with my clumsy self.”

“It’s my pleasure, Seul. You know that we’ve all got your back, no matter what.”

“I don’t deserve you girls, really.”

“Well, you’re stuck with us! Even after we get that Olympic gold medal.”

\--

**Two weeks after the World Cup, the following Monday**

Seulgi wakes up that morning with a different type of energy as compared to usual. She heaves a deep breath, willing herself all the luck in the world, before heading off to the stadium for the team’s usual practice.

Irene isn’t present during the first half of practice – Coach Kwon had said she’d offered to take care of paperwork for today – and Seulgi had sighed, forcing herself to work extra hard and release all the nervous energy she’d been gathering all morning.

They’re on for a water break, so Seulgi heads back to the locker room to change out of her sweaty chin guards (it’s far too hot today), when the locker room opens once more with a BANG and suddenly, the space is filled with shouting. The captain jumps in shock, ears ringing with the abrupt introduction of noise, especially when Joy shouts her name with such purpose that it sounds desperate.

“KANG SEULGI!”

“I'm here!” Seulgi yelps immediately, worry creased on her forehead. “Is something wrong?”

Yeri is panting heavily, beads of sweat lining her brow.

“You need to hear this, Cap! Like, you  _ really _ need to hear this.”

“What’s wrong?” Seulgi stands up from the bench.

Joy appears from around the corner, appearing to be struggling with something.

_ “Someone,” _ Joy grunts out, teeth grit together from the effort, “Has something that she needs to confess.”

Seulgi’s eyes widen as Joy shoves the culprit to stand in front of the captain.

“Um, well this is rather unexpected.”

\--

“Seul?”

“Yeah, Jennie?” 

“Are you okay?”

The captain pauses, a second away from letting the usual  _ I’m fine _ slip through her lips.

“No, not really,” she admits a moment later, breathing in heavily. It’s the truth, though. She’d been absolutely awful during practice today. A full weekend without Irene. A full weekend without the Irene’s signature laughter ringing through her ears, a full weekend of pacing and worrying and trying to find a way to make things right. “I really blew up last Friday, Jen. When both of us are on edge, too.”

“I’m sorry, Cap,” Jennie murmurs, lingering by the locker room entrance.

“I’ll be alright though,” Seulgi says, looking tired. “I’ll have to be. Especially after Wednesday when—”

“I can ask her not to practice with us,” Jennie interrupts. “Eunae and I have been working more on our chemistry too, and—”

Seulgi shakes her head, “No. I  _ want _ her to play. She’s more than ready, and she deserves it. Especially after working so hard.”

“You’ve been working hard too, Seul,” Jennie insists, but Seulgi only shakes her head in disagreement again.

“I’m not changing my mind, Jen,” and even with her back to her close friend, Seulgi can still imagine the saddened-kitten look that would most definitely overtake the midfielder’s face. “Now don’t you have to get along too? You said that you were taking Jisoo out to dinner today.”

“I am,” Jennie relents with a sigh, a hand coming up to tangle itself in her hair out of frustration. “Listen, Cap, I really appreciate you looking out for me, but  _ please _ , look out for yourself too. I—” Jennie huffs, exhaling with purpose. “I hate to see you hurting. You’re one of my best friends, and I you know how I’ve come to love Irene too. Both of you are precious figures in each other’s lives— anyone can see that! You two belong together, I  _ know it,  _ Seul. Please don’t let this come in between you two. Not after everything you’ve been through.”

Seulgi is silent for a moment, but nods. “I’ll be fine, Jennie. Please don’t worry too much about me. I… I’m going to try and make things right today.”

Jennie bites her lip as she hesitantly opens the door to leave.

“I believe in you, Seulgi-unnie,” Jennie mutters quietly, and Seulgi whips her head around, but by the time she’s finally rests her gaze on the entrance, Jennie has already slipped out.

\--

A whole hour after practice has let out, it’s Seulgi who finds Irene in the locker room. Knowing that Irene would be in yet another meeting in the afternoon, Seulgi had waited for her with the knowledge that both of them are hurting. After her encounter with Jennie earlier, she’d been launching shots into the net, the field otherwise empty, when she’d seen Irene exiting Coach Kwon’s office. The two of them had met eyes before something akin to panic had overtaken Irene’s expression, and she’d quickly dashed off to the locker room, Seulgi following close behind.

“Irene.”

“What is it, Seulgi?” With her back turned to Seulgi, Irene doesn’t sound harsh, more tired than anything; regretful. Seulgi knows the feeling.

“I… I just wanted to talk.”

“…We tried doing that last time—”

“—and I had been stupid and jumped to conclusions.”

The statement quickly silences Irene, the older girl completely ditching what she had been about to say.

“I’ve made my fair share of mistakes these past few days as well,” is what Irene decides on a second later, turning around to finally meet Seulgi’s gaze, and Seulgi blinks, not expecting that. “Even more than you.”

“I— maybe so, but I was the one who messed up first,” Seulgi relents, genuinely remorseful. “I shouldn’t have pushed you, I shouldn’t have kept prodding. I know you, and I should’ve known that you have your own reasons for keeping secrets. I… your relation to Jiwoo and that other girl… I shouldn’t have assumed that whatever it is would be jeopardizing our relationship.

“I'm just… sorry,” Seulgi whispers, clenching a fist and shutting her eyes tight. She looks away, not feeling worthy to meet Irene’s eyes. “I'm so, so sorry, Joo— Irene.” Her quick correction doesn't go unnoticed by the older girl, whose heart clenches at how far away her very own name sounds. “I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions too quickly. I'm sorry for getting angry… you did nothing wrong, I just wanted you to know that. You were only doing as you were supposed to, and I was being unreasonable. I'm so sorry…”

Irene only shakes her head, tears in her eyes. The intent is there, at the tip of her tongue, but the words are stuck, trapped in her throat.

Seulgi’s voice sounds painful.

“I understand if you don't want to see me right now… or if you need time away… It’s alright, Irene, I completely get it, I—”

“Hug me,” Irene finally manages to choke out, and Seulgi’s gaze snaps up to meet her own in shock. She reaches out to Seulgi desperately. “Please. I  _ miss you.” _

The captain wastes no more time in stepping close to Irene and enveloping the older girl in her arms. The second Seulgi’s hands brush against her arms, Irene whimpers, hands curling into the fabric of Seulgi’s jersey. She pushes her face into the crook of Seulgi’s neck, quietly letting soft sobs fade into the space— or lack thereof.

“You've always been so strong,” Seulgi murmurs absentmindedly, closing her eyes and indulging in the contact. It had been a long weekend of isolation; she had missed Irene like a drowning man misses air, and now with Irene finally back in her arms, it's like she can finally breathe again. “Meanwhile, a single day without you felt like torture to me… I'm so stupid, please forgive me.”

“I'm not without fault either,” Irene whispers, licking her lips. She shakes her head again, hair tickling Seulgi’s jaw ever-so-slightly. “I never told you anything, and when you asked me about it, I just allowed myself to be irritable instead of explaining everything as it happened— it had been a rough day, and I had unfairly snapped and took my anger out on you. I-I… it was supposed to be a secret, and instead of explaining that calmly, I pushed you away, and that was unfair of me. I'm sorry as well, Seulgi, for making things even worse instead of better.”

“I guess we both were stupid,” Seulgi concludes dryly, though she smiles at the sound of Irene’s hoarse giggling. “I still love you, Irene.”

“And I still love you too,” Irene says, her lips finally pulling upwards after a long few days of frowning. “Always. Forever and ever. I… I guess I wish that we could guarantee that misunderstandings like this will never happen again, but even I know that’s impossible.” She catches Seulgi’s eye, biting back a smile. “But I guess that’s the beauty of love, right? You love that person no matter what.”

Seulgi laughs gently, pulling back gently and trying to ignore Irene’s quiet whine at the distance she creates.

“I was thinking about that part, actually,” Seulgi says, stepping away. Pulling her locker open, she digs into a pocket of her sports bag to pull out a small box. Casting a wry smile at Irene, she opens the box to pull out a small golden necklace, holding it up for her girlfriend to see. “I know we can’t wear jewelry during games, but I like the meaning behind this one.”

Irene carefully cups the necklace in her hands, gasping in surprise at the little carved bird swinging from the bottom of the chain.

“It’s a hummingbird!” Irene exclaims, a wide smile blooming across her features. Suddenly, she narrows her eyes, pointing accusingly at Seulgi. “Wait a minute, this better not be a stab at my height!”

Seulgi can’t help but throw her head back to let out a laugh at that, waving her hands in front of herself in an attempt to dissuade the girl fixating her with a suspicious look.

“It’s not, I promise!” Seulgi says through giggles. “I swear it’s not! Although, it does fit rather nicely, doesn’t it?”

Irene pouts but spins around nonetheless, allowing Seulgi to clasp the necklace around her neck.

“Really though, the hummingbird has a lot of meaning behind it,” Seulgi continues, and Irene hums, nodding for the captain to keep explaining. “For starters, hummingbirds flit around a lot, right? They’re very carefree, going wherever they want. They remind us to live in the moment, to experience and enjoy the simple things, y’know? Not everything has to be a big show; sometimes, it’s the small victories that count.”

“Like watching you beat your record on the pacer test,” Irene murmurs, and Seulgi looks at her in surprise. “It wasn’t even me doing the running, but seeing you so happy, even while breathless… that meant the world to me.”

“Seeing you so proud of me had me over the moon as well,” Seulgi chuckles, draping herself over the other girl and starting a simple sway on their feet. “Speaking of which, so more about hummingbirds— they’ve got these long beaks, and they can reach past the not-so-great parts of flowers to drink the nectar. Just like them, we can get past the bad parts of life and seek out the good.”

“Together,” Irene says, and Seulgi nods.

“Together. Oh, and one more major thing,” Seulgi chuckles, nudging Irene’s waist. “Did you know that some hummingbirds can travel up to two thousand miles to reach their destination?”

“Two thousand?” Irene looks impressed. “That’s a lot.”

“They’re extremely tenacious,” Seulgi agrees. “They… they can endure a lot, all to reach their happy ending.”

“Seulgi…” Irene smiles fondly. She stands up on her tiptoes, planting a firm kiss on the taller girl’s lips, sighing contentedly into the kiss.

“You’re so close to reaching that dream,” Seulgi whispers, only the tiniest of space between them. “So close… I want to see it become a reality. This necklace is my promise to you, reaffirmed. We’re going to get that gold medal.”

“And I’m nowhere near giving up either,” Irene murmurs, and her arms wrap around Seulgi’s neck. “So let’s get our happy ending, shall we?”

\--

It isn’t until hours later, when they’re lying on Seulgi’s couch together, half-paying attention to a dumb sport-related movie that Seulgi had randomly selected (tonight, it’s Air Bud, that movie about the golden retriever that plays basketball), both of them feeling more at home than forever, that Irene finally realizes that there’s still a few things that haven’t been addressed.

“Seul?”

“What’s up, Hyun?”

“Did you ever find out who that unreleased number was that sent you that picture of me hugging… that girl?”

“Oh!” Seulgi chuckles to herself. “I was so caught up in everything that I completely forgot to tell you. Yeah, I did find out who the culprit was, right before practice started, actually.”

Irene furrows her brow, absently picking up the remote turning down the volume of the movie – golden retriever’s barking to pass the basketball is rather loud – in order to hear Seulgi’s words better.

“Who was it, then?”

“Oh, it was SinB.”

_ “What?” _ Irene can’t believe her ears. “SinB? Are you sure?”

“One hundred percent,” Seulgi laughs, loud and clear. “Especially after she confessed her ‘crime’ to me. Or… more like Joy and Yeri brought Oh, man, Hyun, I actually felt super bad for her— she looked like a kicked puppy!”

“I would’ve loved to see that,” Irene giggles before cocking her head. “But why would she do something like that?”

“Ah,” Seulgi scratches the back of her head sheepishly. “That’s… kind of my fault, honestly.”

“Oh?”

“She told me that she’d grown jealous,” Seulgi admits, her sheepish expression only deepening at she winces as the words leave her lips, and she hastily backtracks at Irene’s wide, wide eyes. “Not in like, a romantic way or anything! Nothing like that! She says she supports us a lot, she really does.” 

The team captain looks up at the ceiling. 

“Before you came along, I used to spend a lot of time with SinB. We’d hang out after practice a lot, along with Chungha and Tzuyu. I kind of adopted those three, in a way,” Seulgi explains. “They were quite the trio of rookies! But I definitely was closest to SinB. Then the whole injury happened, and to be quite honest, I haven’t really spent time with her in that same way ever since. I’ve always been sidetracked with  _ something, _ be it the whole competition thing with Jennie, the World Cup, Olympics prep, and… and I guess  _ you, _ in a way, though you’re by no means a sidetrack,” Seulgi grins, and Irene rolls her eyes knowingly.

“So she didn’t know how else to get your attention?” Irene inquires.

“She didn’t,” Seulgi confirms, and she sighs. “But I can see where she came from. I really  _ haven’t _ been giving her the same amount of attention, and just  _ damn… _ I pulled a really shitty move, just sort of forgetting about our friendship like that. She,” Seulgi chuckles, massaging her temples, “She kept stammering over her words – it was the first time I’ve ever seen her like that! – and she kept repeating over and over how she knew that I never  _ intended _ to get occupied in other things, and how she knows that there’s no one else I love more than you,” a faint blush taints Irene’s cheeks, “but I just felt so  _ bad, _ Hyun!”

“I bet you did, but it’s alright, Seul,” Irene says soothingly. She shifts on the couch, joining Seulgi on her side and resting her cheek on Seulgi’s shoulder. They curl around each other naturally, as they’ve done so many times before, as Irene rubs circles into the back of Seulgi’s hand, and the younger girl feels herself start to calm down. “The good news is that now you know, and now you can remember to balance some time for her, and maybe Chungha and Tzuyu too.”

“I was thinking of bring them to that ESPN Body Issue party I was invited to on behalf of the team,” Seulgi comments, and Irene finds herself bobbing her head along to the idea. “The one that’s next month. You were invited too along with Coach Kwon, right? Look at you, gaining a fanbase! Anyway, I’m allowed to bring a few guests, and coincidentally, there’s three young not-really-rookies who I haven’t spent enough time with.”

Irene grins. “That sounds like a great plan, Seulgi.”

\--

Seulgi wakes up to Irene on her phone, chuckling to herself.

“Why are you up so early?” Seulgi groans. She glances at the nearby digital clock on the bedside table before casting a confused look Irene’s way. “Babe, it’s 4 AM, how on earth are you on your phone?”

Irene completely disregards the question.

“Are you up for dinner on Friday?”

“Huh?” Seulgi pushes herself up onto her elbow. “Dinner? Like, just the two of us, or…?”

“Not just us,” Irene clarifies, and she flashes her phone screen for Seulgi to see. The messenger app is open, and Seulgi sees the conversation open, Jiwoo’s name at the top of the screen. “Jiwoo and her girlfriend— I’ve finally been given the okay to disclose their relationship,” she giggles.

“W-wait,” Seulgi bolts up, startled. “That girl with the amazing proportions and unfortunately slick hair is Jiwoo’s  _ girlfriend? _ The one who you were hugging from the picture?”

“Correct,” Irene nods, before tilting her head and scrunching her nose. “Err, something like that at least. Things were finally settled, and everything can be explained on Friday, I promise.”

“I’ll hold you to it, then,” Seulgi agrees in contentment before breaking out into a yawn. “Can we go back to sleep now, Hyun?”

“Sure thing, Seul,” Irene chuckles. She types out a quick goodbye to Jiwoo before locking her phone and lying back down next to a Seulgi who is way too willing to engulf Irene in her arms.

\--

That Friday, Seulgi pulls up to the rather high-end restaurant, Irene in the passenger seat.

“Pretty fancy place,” Seulgi notes, stepping out of the car and opening the opposite door for her girlfriend, smirking at Irene’s embarrassed expression. She hands her keys off to the suited man in charge of valet parking before taking Irene’s hand, and they head down the walkway hand-in-hand. “Not going to lie, I didn’t really take you for the type, Hyun! Though then again, I shouldn’t be surprised, given how you’re the princess of South Korea.”

Irene rolls her eyes playfully as they step inside, fully knowing that Seulgi is teasing.

“I rather would have something more lowkey,” Irene sighs. She tugs lightly at the dress she has on, and Seulgi wordlessly hands her the leather jacket she’d been wearing. Irene slips it on gratefully, already feeling slightly cold. “Unfortunately, the K League is insistent that anyone who meets my… friends meet them in a completely secure place. This restaurant is a sponsor of the League who have sworn to secrecy, so while it’s great that we kind of get to eat free, dressing up for the occasion each time is such a hassle.”

“I can imagine,” Seulgi laughs lightly. A waiter already seems to have anticipated them, motioning for the girls to follow him deeper into the restaurant. “So Chuu somehow has business with the League?”

“Not Chuu specifically,” Irene says, tilting her head, moving to the left to make way for a busy waitress to pass by. “It’s her girlfriend who has business with them, actually. Chuu is kind of along for the ride now.”

“Wow,” Seulgi says in admiration for the photographer. She’s seen the difficulties of dating someone not of the same occupation – Eunae and Nahyun being one example – and she can safely say that her respect for the young girl has already increased. “That’s some amazing dedication.”

“It really is,” Irene agrees, her smile soft. Seulgi gets the feeling that there’s even more to the story than that, but as they’re lead over to a few tables by an extravagant window, she supposes that it’ll be told later on.

There are already two girls seated at the table— Seulgi recognizes the first girl as Chuu, who breaks out into a smile at Seulgi and Irene. The other girl, of slightly taller, more mature-looking stature, straightens up at the sight of the older girls approaching; Seulgi recognizes her as the girl from the picture SinB had sent.

“Hi girls,” Irene smiles gently, reaching out to engulf the other two in a hug, and Seulgi can already see the motherly affection in the gesture. When Irene pulls back, she reaches out to Seulgi, who takes her hand like second-nature. “I brought your hero with me this time, Yves.”

Much to Seulgi’s surprise, upon meeting the eyes of the unknown girl, she finds a shocking mixture of awe and familiarity in scanning the girl’s face.

“You’re Kang Seulgi!” She says excitedly, standing up to shake Seulgi’s hand. “I— I’ve always wanted to meet you, I just—”

“I’m Jiwoo,” Chuu says with giggle, cutting off her girlfriend with a humorous glance in the taller girl’s way. “But everyone calls me Chuu! It’s very nice to finally meet you, Captain Seulgi!”

“Just Seulgi is fine,” Seulgi chuckles, nodding in the photographer’s direction.

“And my name is Sooyoung, but I go by Yves,” the other girl finally introduces herself, smiling at Seulgi almost shyly. “I’m a soccer player too, and I’m also kind of… the cause of all of this, including why Irene-unnie has been so busy lately. I’m really sorry about that…”

“Please don’t worry about it!” Seulgi hastily assures Yves, who bites her lip, a sudden expression of nervousness flitting over her features. Somehow, Seulgi gets the impression that this whole issue is even larger than she’d initially thought. “Although, I will admit that I’m pretty curious as to what’s been happening with all this League business.”

“I guess it’s time to start explaining,” Irene says, sharing looks with Chuu and Yves, her gaze especially lingering on the latter.

Meanwhile, Yves takes a deep breath, her smile becoming subdued. “I suppose it is. Seulgi-ssi, you might want to sit down for this one.”

A minute later, having finally taken her seat and given her order to the waiter, Seulgi listens intently as the beginning exposition of a saga is laid out before her, and she can feel her jaw dropping lower and lower the more Irene speaks of everything that had transpired in the past few weeks.

“Wait, so you’re telling me that the League has given you trouble before, like,  _ years ago,  _ but now they want to sign you and they’re  _ still _ giving you a difficult time?” Seulgi gapes, summarizing the overview that Irene had just presented to her. Yves nods, chewing on her lip, and Seulgi turns to Irene. “That’s why you’ve been in so many meetings lately? And going out to dinners?”

“You’d be surprised how many representatives want to discuss contracts over expensive dinners,” Irene groans, picking up her glass of water to take a sip. “I’m honestly running out of dresses to wear to these outings. But yes, that’s why I’ve been so disconnected recently, even this week. Yves is another special case for me… she was my first patient I had ever taken on as a physical therapist… I couldn’t let her down— I  _ can’t _ let her down.”

“I see,” Seulgi nods, and slowly, all the puzzle pieces come into formation in front of her eyes. “So… what had happened that caused the League to screw you over the first time?”

“I had been a collegiate player at my university at the time,” Yves explains, her voice low. “It had been a regular day— Chuu and I had been relaxing on campus during one of my rare days when I didn’t have practice. I don’t remember the exact details of it, but there had been a guest speaker on campus that day— the CEO of some major conglomerate. He had been impatient on campus and decided to speed on the roads and ignore the streetlights and walkways. I’d been crossing the street after Chuu when… yeah.”

“Oh no…” Seulgi whispers, mortified.

Yves sighs, absently twirling her fork around her fingers.

“Chuu had tried pulling me out of the way, but I’d fallen and the wheel broke my dominant leg… it was completely broken, but had it not been for Chuu, I would’ve died that day.

Meanwhile, Chuu whimpers, bringing up her hands to cover her ears.

“I don’t like it when you talk about that part,” Chuu mumbles, and Yves smiles apologetically. Seulgi watches as the older of the two takes one of Chuu’s hands, gently rubbing the back of it until Chuu pulls away with a glare. “And I’m supposed to be the one comforting you!”

Yves laughs, affectionately dropping an arm to wind around Chuu’s.

“I’m over the whole accident now,” Yves says honestly. “My family, Irene, and Chuu all helped me overcome it. It was… definitely not the easiest road to walk on, but it happened, and now I’m back here.”

“I remember Irene mentioning how you and Chuu just came back from the States,” Seulgi recalls. “Is that what you mean by ‘back’?”

Yves nods. “Yeah… back in my collegiate days, I’d been offered positions in the League, but in light of the accident, they were… kind of revoked.”

“What?” Seulgi’s eyes go wide. “Wait, just like that? They were gone?”

The younger player shrugs helplessly. “I know, and it was just as bad as it sounds. I broke my dominant leg just as I was about to head over to guest for a club team that weekend. I never had the chance to show any of the League’s representatives how I could play in a true adult setting, and they didn’t think that I’d come back, so they filled the holes with other new players and there just wasn’t any space for me anymore.”

“So you went to the US?”

“Yup,” Yves smiles tiredly. “Chuu went with me as well—”

“To support you!” Chuu pipes up, and she makes a rectangle with her thumbs and pointer fingers, imitating the clicking of a camera shutter. “I worked as a photographer!”

“—she went to support me,” Yves giggles. “She’s been my number one cheerleader for years now.”

“You two must be perfect for each other,” Seulgi grins. She’s only been around these girls for maybe a maximum of thirty minutes, but she can already feel between them a bond that goes deeper than the average comprehension, especially after all their hardship.

“Imperfectly perfect,” Yves nods, all affection for the smaller girl seated next to her. “She’s been by my side throughout everything— from my early college days, to the injury, to my time in the States, and even now during the lawsuit… she’s stayed next to me through it all.”

“That’s amazing,” Seulgi says, her gaze shifting from Yves to Chuu, the younger of the two blushing under the scrutiny. “But wait… what’s this lawsuit you just mentioned?”

“Ah,” Yves winces just as Chuu and Irene’s expression both noticeably sour. “Well, there’s a lawsuit, and then there’s just the negotiating of my contract with the K League and National Team. Irene and Coach Kwon weren’t… fond of the terms that were given to me, arguing that I had been wronged to have all opportunities stripped away.”

“I was given time to recover after my accident,” Irene says as explanation, and Seulgi nods, recalling how they’d talked about this during her own recovery period. “But I’d chosen not to return to the National Team because I’d assumed that I wasn’t wanted. However,” she frowns, “Yves wasn’t given that choice, and her current contract doesn’t reflect that unfairness at all, so Coach Kwon and I were given the opportunity to argue for Yves to be granted better terms. There’s been a lot of negotiating, but I think we finally came to a good middle ground.”

“All that’s left on that end is me signing the contract, thank goodness,” Yves concludes, genuinely relieved. “I’ll be taking care of that tomorrow. On the other hand…”

“We’re trying to sue that awful CEO who nearly killed my girlfriend,” Chuu states, uncharacteristically blunt.

“You mean he didn’t give you compensation?” Seulgi asks lowly. She hadn’t even known Yves for that long and she’s  _ already _ angry for the younger girl. “How the hell did that happen?!”

“We don’t know,” Chuu huffs, slumping back in her seat, a stark contrast to the high-class atmosphere of the restaurant. The girls hardly even notice the waiter bringing them their food, merely giving him a polite  _ thank you _ before continuing their conversation where they’d left off. “Somehow, he got out of paying the hospital build despite being responsible, and Yves’s family ended up paying for it themselves. Additionally, he refused to acknowledge any questions about his involvement in the accident, despite all the witnesses that had been present when the incident took place.”

“Wow, I hope you get your compensation and ample,” Seulgi grunts. She crosses her arms, clearly annoyed at the entire situation. “He deserves to get a few zeroes knocked off his bank account. How’d your lawyer?”

“She’s the best of the best,” Irene says, smirking. “Despite being the youngest at her firm, she’s said to be the most astute. I think you know who I’m talking about, Seul.”

“ _ Nahyun _ is your lawyer?!” Seulgi’s eyes bug out. Wow, tonight is just full of so many surprises. “It really is a small world!”

\--

“I’m really sorry for the mess I caused, honestly,” Yves says earnestly after dinner, shifting awkwardly on her feet as they follow their respective girlfriends down the streetlight lit park path. “Irene told me about the whole situation between you two, and Jiwoo says that she’s sorry too.”

“Don’t be sorry, silly!” Seulgi protests, choking on a surprised laugh. “None of it was your fault! It was all a big misunderstanding really.”

The young soccer player still looks unsure, gaze flickering back and forth between Seulgi beside her, and Chuu and Irene chatting animatedly in front of them.

“Are… are you positive? Because it was kind of my being present in the first place that jumpstarted this whole mess—”

“Trust me when I say that you did nothing wrong,” Seulgi says assuredly, patting Yves’s shoulder comfortingly. She grins when she finally gets the other girl to relax her previously rigid posture. “Besides, it was because of this whole fiasco that I realized that being in a relationship doesn’t mean needing to essentially be with your significant other at literally all times, and instead it’s more about respecting and trusting your partner’s better judgement. Basically, I learned that using my head to think things through reasonably is a good option.”

“Oh man, I remember having to deal with that too,” Yves bobs her head sympathetically. “My girl is a photographer, which means there’s plenty of times when she has to take pictures of clients one-on-one.”

“Yikes,” Seulgi winces. She can already think of too many scenarios where something like that can go downhill incredibly quickly. “That must’ve been rough.”

“It was at first,” Yves agrees. “I mean, I’m super happy that Chuu’s talented at what she does, but back in L.A., and even here now in Seoul as her reputation spreads, she’s high in demand amongst modelling and entertainment companies. Sometimes I still think about all the pretty girls she’s had to photograph, and I feel jealous of those models! They have all of her attention right then and there, after all.”

“But in the end…?” Seulgi trails off.

“But in the end, it’s me that she comes home to,” Yves says proudly, throwing a fond look over at her girlfriend. “I still remember the day when I told her that I’d been feeling jealous. Chuu had said,  _ Sooyoung, whose apartment am I in right now? And whose apartment will I be sleeping over in again tomorrow? And the day after that? _ I sobered up pretty quick after that talk.”

“I can imagine,” the captain smirks. “Well, anyway, I hope to see you on the playing field with me and the other girls soon, Yves, really. I remember hearing a lot about a Ha Sooyoung a few years ago. Did you play collegiate around the same time as—”

“As Chungha, SinB, and Tzuyu?” Yves chuckles to herself before sighing, almost in reminiscence. “I did. I played collegiate for three years, and we all came from the same university. I was just starting my third year of collegiate when the car accident happened.”

“And then you weren’t able to accept the position to the Under-20 or National Team,” Seulgi finishes.

Yves’s smile suddenly looks tired. “That’s right. I was called up with those three, actually. We… we were supposed to attend our first practice camp together.”

They lapse into silence as they continue to walk, and Seulgi ducks her head, feeling the waves of genuine sadness radiate off of the other girl. She can’t even imagine what it had been like, to be so close to achieving your dream, only for it to be shattered before it could even take flight. Having finally been able to talk to Yves, Seulgi can safely say that she’s already taken a liking to the other girl.

“I would’ve adopted four rookies then,” Seulgi mumbles, and Yves’s walking abruptly comes to a halt.

It doesn’t take a genius to understand that the younger player is trying to hold back tears, and Seulgi is quick to wrap Yves up in a comforting embrace. She rubs circles into the slightly taller girl’s back as Yves’s shoulders shake as she tries to keep her crying quiet.

“It was  _ so hard,” _ Yves manages to get out between her sobs, and it is then that Seulgi understands that this is probably one of the only times that Yves has even allowed herself to cry ever since the injury. “Irene had been so kind and determined to help me recover, and Chuu had been so patient and—  _ god, _ only to discover that all opportunities for me here in Korea had been revoked! I felt so  _ awful, _ like I had wasted their time. And… and then Chuu decided to fly all the way to L.A. with me because it was the only chance and I had… she had a  _ scholarship _ here in Korea and she gave it up for me! She had her life all set up for her, and she decided that she’d rather struggle with me—”

“But both of you are stronger than ever,” Seulgi soothes, reaching into her back pocket for a tissue to wipe away the tears from Yves’s eyes. “Chuu has grown quite the reputation with her skill, and now you’re back here in Korea, claiming your rightful spot on the National Team, as you should.” The captain’s eyes gleam under the night light. “You’re going to be on  _ my _ team, and we’re going to play together, just as it should have been. You’ve had a tough two years, Yves, but I know for sure that you’ve come out all that much better for it.”

Yves sniffs, swiping at her eyes with the back of her sleeve, though Seulgi knows that despite her red eyes, Yves is definitely feeling better now.

“So this is really why you’re one of the captains,” Yves laughs lightly, still rubbing at her eyes.

“Stop rubbing!” Seulgi scolds gently. “They’ll only get redder!”

“Yes, yes Captain!”

“That’s  _ Cap _ to you!”

And then—

“Sooyoung!”

“Seulgi!”

The two soccer players turn to face the direction of the sounds; apparently the two other girls had finally realized that their significant others had stopped walking in favorite of an emotional heart-to-heart.

“Sooyoung, are your eyes red?!”

“N-no they’re not, Jiwooming—”

“Seulgi, were you mean to Yves?!”

“Wha— Hyun, of course not! I was comforting her!”

“She was, Irene! I can vouch for it!”

“Thank you, Yves! Yves is my new favorite.”

“Well, what on earth did you say to make Yves cry?!”

“W-we were just reminiscing, Hyun, I swear!”

“I was nostalgic and got emotional, Irene! I promise your girlfriend did not make me cry— intentionally.”

“That actually makes a bit of sense. My Yves sure does get emotional easily.”

“Wow Chuu, I did  _ not _ come here to get attacked!”

\--

**@chuuwu: @sringles @baerene I can’t believe I got to meet and eat dinner with the captain of the National Team today! It was such a surreal experience! Thank you so much for taking pictures with me!**

**@sringles: @chuuwu @baerene Of course, Chuu! We’ll post the other pics we took soon ;)**

“Do you think people will realize that you’re actually ghost-tweeting from Chuu’s twitter account?” Seulgi laughs, bumping Yves’s shoulder with her own. “You’re cute, Yves!”

Yves’s flushes as the three other girls join in Seulgi’s laughter around her.

“Listen, it’s not every day you get to meet – let alone  _ eat dinner –  _ with the  _ captain of the Korean Women’s National Team!” _ Yves says defensively, pouting. “I’m not allowed to let the world know that I’m actually back in Korea yet because  _ semantics, _ so I can’t post pictures of myself! This is the second best thing, okay?!”

“Oh, look!” Cackling to herself, Irene holds up her phone for the other girls to see. “Tzuyu’s getting suspicious. You guys were classmates, right Chuu?”

**@chewytzu: @chuuwu wait… you’re back in Korea *sunglasses emoji***

**@chuuwu: @chewtzu uhhhhhhh I’m here on official business!**

The four girls burst into another round of laughter on the on-the-spot improvisation.

“Man, I can’t wait until you don’t have to come up with excuses for me,” Yves chuckles, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Oh, uh,” Chuu giggles nervously, and immediately, three pairs of eyes snap to the photographer. “Actually, it wasn’t really a lie… just more like not the whole truth?” Yves gives her an incredulous look. “Okay so maybe I’ve been given an opportunity to sign a contract with the League as well.”

_ “Wha—” _

_ “Excuse me?” _

_ “How—” _

“So earlier today, I might’ve gotten a phone call about being offered the position of the Official Korean Women’s National Team Photographer,” Chuu beams, throwing up a peace sign. “Apparently, the higher ups really liked the portfolio I submitted, and one of them had attended my gallery back in L.A., so once they found out I was linked to Yves, they offered me the job.”

“Oh my god,” Yves whispers, her smile growing larger as she looks at Seulgi and Irene’s similarly happy faces. “Wait, so this means—”

“You’re stuck with me, babe,” Chuu says, throwing her arms around Yves’s neck. “But I said that you and I are a package deal, so given that Yves signs that contract, it looks like you’ll all be seeing me that much more often!”

\--

Moonbyul and Solar return from their two week honeymoon the next day, heading over to Seulgi and Wendy’s shared apartment the next day for lunch.

“What did we miss?” Moonbyul asks, reclining backward onto Seulgi’s couch. She directs the question towards Eunji and Seulgi, who sit on the other chairs in the living room. Meanwhile, Solar, Wendy, and Irene were in the kitchen, working on finishing making the sandwiches. “Besides practice, did anything happen?”

“Uh,” Eunji shares a look with Seulgi. The other defender had been informed of Seulgi’s and Irene’s fight by Wendy the day after everything had settled back to normal. The two girls shrug.

“Nothing much, really,” Seulgi says, whistling nonchalantly, and Eunji nods in agreement.

“Irene’s been making us practice lots,” Eunji says, smiling all too kindly, “but other than that, nothing much!”

Seulgi mentally reminds herself to hug Eunji and buy her that luxury meat set she’d seen the other day while buying groceries.

\--

**Three weeks post World Cup**

They’re walking home from practice on the following Wednesday when they get the news.

Irene’s phone vibrates, and she bites her lip, hastily checking the most recent message. What she reads has her stopping in place, a smile blossoming across her lips.

“Seul…”

“Hyun? Is something wrong?”

“They… they finally finalized it! The contract has been put through! Yves is on the team, and she starts this Friday!”

“YES!” Seulgi shouts, her fist pumping into the air before tackling Irene into a hug, laughing as she hugs Irene tightly happily on the grass beside the sidewalk.

They’re making a scene, they both know it. Neither of them find it in themselves to care as they quickly dial Yves’s number to yell in excitement with both Yves and Chuu.

Things are finally looking up.

\--

None of the other girls quite know what’s happening when they’re finally rounded up on Friday right before practice starts, but things start to make sense when Seulgi strides forward, Moonbyul by her side, and she starts to give her signature  _ teamwork is the key to this team _ speech— the one she always gives only when a new member joins the team.

“Hey guys,” Yves greets, much more shy without Chuu by her side— Seulgi had noticed how Yves tended to act more outgoing while around Chuu, probably as a side effect of the bubbly photographer’s nonstop positive attitude. Her next words are directed towards a certain three members, “It's been… quite a while.”

There's silence as Chungha, SinB, and Tzuyu gape at each other across the small distance, as multiple pairs of curious flicker back and forth between the two parties.

Finally, it is Tzuyu who speaks up.

“Yves-unnie,” Tzuyu whispers, voice cracking under the weight of her emotion. “Yves-unnie!”

“You're back,” SinB says in awe, looking dazed for a whole ten seconds before a wide grin sweeps across her features, and she launches forward to tackle Yves into a hug. “You're  _ finally back!” _

Yves laughs but bobs her head in agreement. “I’m back!”

Tzuyu is quick to join in the embrace, and Chungha completes the loop a moment later, the four girls finally embracing for the first time in years.

“You’re really here,” Chungha mumbles, almost in a state of disbelief. She had, after all, been the first girl to appear in Yves’s hospital room following the car accident, and she’d been there to wave Yves farewell at the airport, stricken with grief as she’d believed that Korea had all but lost Yves forever. “And you're playing soccer with us!”

Yves nods, pulling back to wipe the tears of happiness from Chungha’s eyes-- the slightly older girl had been her captain back in their collegiate soccer days. 

“My contract with the team was finalized over the weekend,” Yves grins. “There had been discussions over the terms for weeks and Irene had been vouching for me, but I'm officially a part of the team now!”

“And now we've got all four of you on the team,” Seulgi chimes in, patting each of their shoulders in turn. “As it should’ve been way back then.”

“Seulgi’s already adopted Yves,” Irene chuckles, fondly taking Seulgi’s hand within her own and massaging the back of it gently. Turning to the rest of the team, she says, “This is Yves, otherwise known as Ha Sooyoung, and she’s our new defender! She had been supposed to join the team years ago, before the World Cup, but things got complicated. Thankfully, she’ll be playing defense with us from here on out, so please make her feel welcome!”

A chorus of cheers arise from the team.

“Will do!”

“Welcome aboard, Yves!”

“You’re another Sooyoung, right? We can be twins!”

“She’s a year younger than you, Joy!”

“What’s your  _ point?!” _

Seulgi laughs. “Okay, gang! Huddle up! We’re a good three weeks off our World Cup win, which means that we can’t be basking in the glory anymore! Our other captain, Moonbyul, is back from her honeymoon, and we’ve just gained a new member in Yves! It’s time to  _ really _ crack down and get ready for the Olympic qualifiers, and of course, the Olympic Games too! Are you guys ready?”

“Aye, Captain!”

\--

**@selfinsertfanfics: Check out our new team member, @yvesofeden! She’s super funny and an INSANE defender! Look forward to her playing, everyone!**

**@jendeukkie: Our new girl, @yvesofeden is seriously one of the most awesome people I’ve ever had to play with! Guys, her moves during our scrimmage today was amazing and I am in awe**

**@DEunA: @yvesofeden kept me super busy during our scrimmage holy crap like she NUTMEGGED ME IN THE FIRST 5 MINUTES**

**@yvesofeden: @DEunA hhhhhh I’m sorryyyyyyy XD**

**@sringles: @DEunA @yvesofeden ok but no joke, that was literally hilarious, and Irene caught it on camera so that one’s going in the record books lmfao Eunae was like “where tf did the ball go???”**

**@wdykchungha: @yvesofeden @chewytzu @lilshinb it feels so good to have the 4 of us reunited TT**

**@yvesofeden: @wdykchungha @chewytzu @lilshinb I missed you guys so much <3**

\--

**One month post World Cup**

“So,” Chungha wriggles her eyes teasingly at SinB, who rolls her eyes and takes another sip of her wine. “You enjoying yourself, SinB?”

“I came for the free food,” SinB deadpans, scanning the crowded room of the ESPN Body Issue party. There are far too many bodies than what she’s used to, but admittedly, she’s actually having a pretty good time— not that she’ll ever admit that Chungha of all people.

“What?” Seulgi frowns, setting down the plate of food she’d been holding this whole time before being to poke the younger girl excessively. “I invited you here, and you don’t even credit me!” She gasps, placing a faux hurt hand on her chest. “I’m hurt, SinB. Really hurt.”

SinB rolls her eyes again, ever the one to never admit her feelings.

“Why aren’t you with Irene, unnie?” SinB asks suddenly, genuinely confused as to why Seulgi isn’t with the older girl, and especially in a venue filled with highly attractive athletes and models from all over the world. “Aren’t you like, worried that someone will hit on her or something?”

“I don’t want to be overbearing,” Seulgi chuckles sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. “Besides, I trust her! She’ll be coming home with me, after all, and not some random ‘highly attractive athlete or model’ so I’m not too worried. Instead, I wanted to spend time with you guys!”

“That’s a good mentality, unnie,” Chungha says at the same time SinB mumbles a happy little  _ if you say so, unnie, _ under her breath. “Speaking of attractive people, see anyone you like, SinB?”

SinB chokes on her wine.

“E-excuse me?!”

“I was just wondering that!” Seulgi claps her hands enthusiastically. “There’s actually someone I want to introduce you to tonight— Solar’s cousin is a model, did you know that? Her name is Sowon, she just came back from working overseas in the States, and—”

“H-hold on!” SinB stammers. “Who said I want to meet anyone?!”

“Well,” Chungha starts.

“We’re back from getting more food!” Tzuyu interrupts, happily holding a now full plate from the buffet table. Yves accompanies her, her plate also containing more food, although not as much as Tzuyu’s. “That place is crowded, like I’m so glad we got our first servings early.”

SinB sighs in relief, only to freeze in place when Yves finally speaks up.

“I ran into a friend of mine, actually!” The newest member of the team says, smiling. “She’s a model named Sowon, have you heard of her? She modeled for Jiwoo once back in the States, and we became friends.”

“SinB’s heard of her!” Chungha chimes in, and SinB feels the strong urge to smack her best friend. “You should introduce them, Yves!”

“That’s a great idea!”

SinB is scared to see that even after all this time, Yves still gets that same unchangingly playful glint in her eyes every time she wants to pull something big.

“It’s really not—”

“Nonsense! Let’s go!”

Yeah, SinB is  _ terrified. _

\--

“Did SinB have a good time?” Irene asks Seulgi later, as they lie in bed, Irene’s head rested on Seulgi’s chest.

“She had a blast,” Seulgi grins. “Like, she honestly had a blast.”

Irene chuckles to herself, feeling amused and almost sorry for the younger soccer player.

\--

**Two months post World Cup**

“Smile for the camera!” Chuu exclaims cheerfully. The shutter goes off, and the girls all sigh in relief when Chuu gives them the thumbs up to indicate that the picture looked good. Team photos and profile picture taking are definitely the most stressful non-game events of the year— Chuu says that she’d been looking forward to everyone’s awkward smiles though.

“I can make you look good, I promise!” The photographer had claimed. Having grown to know Chuu well over the past two months, no one had dared deny her.

“Can I ask why you had Irene and I take pictures together?” Seulgi asks, allowing the makeup artists – courtesy of Yves and her surprisingly extensive connections into the cosmetics industry – to wipe off the foundation off of her face. 

“I don’t think those were required, Miss Chuu,” Irene adds teasingly, taking a sip of her water bottle.

“Trust me, you’ll thank me during your wedding,” Chuu quips, unperturbed.

Irene coughs on her drink, and Seulgi nearly trips over her own feet at the statement that had been spoken far too naturally for it to be normal.

“I-I’m sorry?!”

“W-wha—”

“I have planted the seeds, and I will see the harvest,” Chuu says calmly, much to the inherent amusement of the rest of the entire soccer team who are absolutely losing it in the background.

\--

**Five months post World Cup**

“Yuju!” Jennie yells, racing down the field, hand pointing to the ground in signal that she’s open.

The defender snaps her head up, meeting eyes with Jennie. With a curt nod, she dodges the forward charging at her, swiftly sweeping her right leg low to send the ball over to Jennie.

Yuju lets out a grunt of annoyance as a Swedish forward steals the ball with a well-timed header, bouncing the ball up towards their opposing Swedish teammates.

“Naeun!” Jennie calls sharply, but thankfully, the other tall defender is already a step ahead, bounding in and making use of her good height to steal the ball back with a header of her own that sends the ball careening over in Jennie’s direction. 

The midfielder throws Naeun a thumbs up, having successfully retrieved the soccer ball back from the opposite team, before serving a pass to a waiting Krystal who slots the ball into the goal with ease.

Seulgi cheers from the sidelines, high fiving Eunji and Moonbyul who jog past on the field.

_ South Korea Wins International Friendly Against Sweden With a Score of 3-0! Their Teamwork is as Strong as Ever! _

\--

**Nine-and-a-half months post World Cup**

Seulgi touches the ball down with ease, bumping the ball up past the defending Chinese player with skill. She hears the crowd go wild from the little trick, and she allows herself a small smile – it’s the little victories that count, after all – as she passes the ball up to Chungha.

The forward is all smiles as she continues making her way down the field with pure speed. There’s laughter ringing through the air as Chungha nutmegs not one, but  _ two _ Chinese defenders, slipping the ball through their legs each time.

Three defenders surround her, and Chungha swiftly passes to an open Eunae, who touches the ball down without breaking a sweat.

Seulgi’s always admired the way Eunae plays— all crystal clear movements and pure accuracy. It’s almost a work of art, really, especially in the way Eunae so very easily kicks the ball with her non-dominant left foot and shoots the ball into the goal with such precision in her fake out that the opposing goalie dives in the direct  _ opposite _ direction as Eunae truly shoots.

Naturally, Seulgi whoops and starts the dog pile on top of Eunae, laughing loudly as she and her girls topple to the ground in glee. The buzzer signifying that the game is over blasts seconds later, and the crowd goes wild.

“We’re going to the Olympics!” Seulgi yells, and the rest of the team follows suit, shouting loudly to the point where the spectators can no longer distinguish what’s being said.

The message is clear though: they’re  _ ecstatic. _

_ South Korea Takes Home the Cup at the AFC Olympic Qualifying Tournament! Congratulations Girls! Let’s Bring Home Those Gold Medals! _

\--

“That fake out into the left-footed shot was amazing!” Seulgi praises as she and Eunae change back into their casual clothes post-game. “You’ve really been practicing that one a lot, haven’t you?”

“Thanks, Seul! And definitely,” Eunae nods. “I was inspired from watching Irene shoot goals one day during practice, so I looked up old videos of Irene playing, back during her days as Bae Joohyun, the Lightning Forward. She was so accurate with both feet, and I was inspired to work on my accuracy as well. She’s been helping me out a bunch too.”

Seulgi nods understandingly. She thinks back to the very first time she’d seen Irene shoot for her, way back on that night so long ago, when Seulgi’s leg had still be broken and Irene had been working so hard to raise her spirits.

She still remembers the joy on Irene’s face from that night, as she’d excitedly told Seulgi to watch her before kicking the most beautifully arched ball into the air with her left foot of all things. That night, Irene had shown Seulgi that she could make the impossible, possible.

Or at least, what was thought to be impossible.

_ Now, _ Seulgi thinks to herself,  _ it’s time for me to return the favor. _

\--

**One week to the Olympics (Eleven months post World Cup)**

“I can’t believe we’re  _ so _ close to the Olympics,” Seulgi whispers, touching Irene’s arm gently. They’d just gotten home from another game, and although she’s tired, having played a strong second-half, it all hits Seulgi that in just a month, they’re going to be somewhere else— in another country, at the Olympics.

“I know the feeling,” Irene giggles. She squirms around in Seulgi’s hold to look the other girl in the eyes. “I remember feeling like this last time too… but this time, I think it feels that much more special.”

“The Olympics is going to be  _ so _ special,” Seulgi assures. “Especially for you. We’re going to win the whole damn show for you, Hyun.”

“I don’t doubt you in the slightest,” Irene whispers, shifting upwards to place a swift kiss to Seulgi’s lips. “Thank you, Seulgi, for being the very best girlfriend anyone could ever ask for.”

“I should be telling that to you,” Seulgi murmurs, pulling away and burying her face in Irene’s hair. “I’m so,  _ so _ thankful you were my physical therapist back then. Like, really.”

“I couldn’t have asked for a better patient,” Irene hums, contentedly snuggling back into Seulgi’s arms. “There’s no one like you, Kang Seulgi. Thank you for allowing me to know you.”

“Now onto the Olympics?”

“Now onto the Olympics.”

\--

**The Olympic Games (One year post World Cup)**

Seulgi can basically feel the excitement in the air, energy crackling around her like electricity, even as she waits with her teammates in the tunnel from the locker rooms to the field.

She bounces eagerly on the balls of her feet, shaking out the fun combination of nerves and excitement through the tips of her cleats. Closing her eyes, she thinks back to earlier this morning, when she’d woken up in an unfamiliar bed next to a very familiar girl. Irene had beamed at her in the early light, and Seulgi had immediately reached out to cup her cheek before bringing the older girl in for a kiss.

“For good luck,” Seulgi had muttered as Irene giggled. “I’m going to be asking for a few more of those throughout the course of the day, okay? No complaints, please.”

“You won’t hear anything from me,” Irene had replied sweetly.

And now, here she stands, beneath the hot lights of the tunnel leading out of the locker rooms to the pitch. Directly to her left stands Moonbyul, who meets her gaze with the tip of her head and a confident smile. Someone abruptly pats Seulgi’s back, and she laughs, knowing it’s none other than Eunae in an attempt to diffuse the tension.

“You’re gonna crush it for me, right?” Eunae asks cheekily, shaking Seulgi’s shoulder. “Since I won’t be seeing you for a bit over 90 minutes.”

Seulgi snorts, shoving her friend playfully. “You act like you’ll be completely isolated from us, but it’s just the bench!”

Eunae huffs and pretends to pout. “I’ll miss you! It’s lonely on the bench!”

“We’ll all cram onto the right bench, and you can sit on the left one all by yourself!” Jennie yells from further down the tunnel, cupping her hands around her mouth. “Since we’re just not good enough for you, Eunae!” Her statement ends with a forced voice crack, and Jennie turns around to sob into Jisoo’s shoulder.

The other girls holler shouts of encouragement, and Eunae bursts out laughing as Amber sticks her tongue out and even the ever-quiet Tzuyu shoves her spare goalie gloves into Eunae’s face.

\--

There’s a murmur that falls over the field as the announcers shift eagerly in their seats, leaning forward to look over the Olympic soccer field, watching the left-field team of Zimbabwe jog onto the field, warming up, kicking soccer balls back and forth in practice. The male announcer grins as an assistant nearby informs him of the South Korean’s approach onto the field, handing him a sheet with the team’s details.

_ “It’s an exciting first day on the Olympic field, folks! And here’s the team you’ve all been waiting for! It’s our current world champions, South Korea!” _

Even from the opposing side, cheering erupts as the team jogs onto the field, heads held up high with pride to represent their country.

_ “Our starting eleven from SK is looking especially strong today! Of course, the ever impressive Kang Seulgi plans to lead her team to victory! We still can’t forget her amazing recovery story, coming right off her injured leg in record time and leading her team to victory! Now, Miss Boa, as the former captain of the South Korean team and lead striker, what do you have to say about their other choices?” _

The female at his side, Kwon Boa, the former captain of two generations past, grins, crossing her arms.

_ “Well, of course they’ve gone really strong as usual! Their entire team is strong, but this starting lineup especially emphasizes the specific synergy between certain members. Starting with their goalkeeper, Joy is a naturally a flawless starter, even going after that world shutout record, previously held by US goalkeeper, Hope Solo! Joy’s chemistry is further complemented by Yeri, who is reportedly playing defender today alongside other members of South Korea’s brick wall, Eunji and Wendy, as well as recently added player, Yves.” _

_ “Would you agree that Yves has been an integral part in the team’s set pieces over their last few games, Miss Boa?” _

_ “Oh, most definitely! The team has gotten more goals off of set pieces than ever before as of recent thanks to Yves’s inclusion. I’m not going to lie, I was worried about how Yves would fit in with the rest of the team. After joining right after the tail-end of the World Cup and being the only girl who wasn’t part of the World Cup winning team, I was worried about whether she would mesh with the tight-knit group or not. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Yves has been welcomed with open arms! I visited some of their practices, and the girls really love her.” _

_ “That’s great to hear! And what are your thoughts on our midfielder line? I’ve already touched on Seulgi, who has stayed consistently dependable from the very beginning.” _

_ “I’d even go to say that Seulgi’s vastly improved in both physicality and mentality ever since her injury, which is saying something, given how she has had such a good head on her shoulders from the very beginning,” _ Boa enthuses, a proud smile on her face, reclining in her seat. “ _ And the rest of our line is nothing to shirk at either. Going back to what I said about synergy, Yooa, Krystal, and newcomer, Somi – she’s one to keep an eye on – are well known to work like a well-oiled machine around each other, especially under instruction from Seulgi.” _

_ “Oh! Seulgi’s wearing a new number today! Lucky number 13, isn’t it? Now, speaking of synergy, Miss Boa, I’m absolutely shocked to see that Eunae is not, in fact, on the starting eleven!” _

\--

Eunae barks out a laugh at the sudden noise of confusion from the crowd, shoving her hands into the pockets of the track suit letting a lazy smile grace her lips in amusement. She has no intentions of playing today, and she makes it obvious, winking at some nearby fans who scream louder.

“I didn’t think me not being on the field at the same time as you would cause such an uproar,” Eunae chuckles, nudging Seulgi with her elbow (she figures that the cameras must’ve been focused on them, because the noise suddenly gets louder, and Eunae swears she hears the distinct yell of “Seulnae is real!”). “Shippers sure are persistent.”

“Yeah, well,” Seulgi shrugs with a smirk, dumping her bag of gear on the metal bench. “You and I are kind of a dynamic duo, if I do say so myself.”

“Yeah, but you’ve got plenty of chemistry with another certain someone, right? I can’t wait to watch this game,” Eunae winks before she laughs again, punching Seulgi’s bicep. “This is going to be so much fun!”

\--

_ “So who  _ is _ taking Eunae’s place tonight?” _

_ “Why, none other than the best of course! A legend’s return to the pitch is long overdue.” _

\--

The screams are deafening as she steps on the field.

It’s like the world revolves in slow motion, every step feeling like a lifetime. But then again, she’s spent a lifetime away from home, and now, in her pristine jersey, well-worn cleats— she’s going to soak it all in, feel the energy coursing through her veins, the adrenaline washing over her in waves, and she’s willing to drown in it all.

The number 10 burns on her back, blazing.

There’s nothing like an entire audience staring you down like you have something to prove.

She meets their gaze with the intensity of a thunderstorm, lightning crackling around her very being with the signature quirk of her lips.

She’s going all in. 

_ “Please welcome back South Korea’s Lightning Forward Bae Joohyun!” _

\--

Watching Irene on the field is like watching a movie.

Eunae sits on the sidelines and watches in pure, unadulterated awe.

Irene is everything she could ever want to be in a forward— speed, grace, accuracy, and  _ aggression _ all put into one Irene-sized package.

Eunae can’t even imagine what it must feel like to be going up against all of that. And as she witnesses the agility on field, witnesses how Irene moves around defenders like nothing, sees how Irene never freezes in the sight of danger, watches Seulgi and Irene weave around each other like they’d been playing together for an eternity, Eunae can’t help but tip her head back and smile.

Surely, there is no better role model than Bae Joohyun.

\--

_ “Tonight on ESPN: South Korean’s Lightning Forward, the legendary Joohyun Bae has returned, and she’s back with a vengeance, scoring two of South Korea’s three goals in their game against Zimbabwe in their first game on 2020’s Olympic grass! Eight years ago, Joohyun had made headlines after leading her team to a FIFA World Cup clinching victory against Japan, but had been forced off the field in an incident that left her leg broken for years. Now, she’s back under a new name— Irene Bae, and if her performance today as a keystone player in South Korea’s women’s team is anything to go by, we’re going to be in for a very interesting tournament this year!” _

Irene bites her lip as she sits cross-legged on the hotel bed, twiddling her thumbs and trying to hold back a big smile as she watches the news headline flash across the TV. Feeling unusually giddy, she bounces up and down in excitement— it’s been a while since she’s been this excited.

A body drapes itself over hers, and Irene laughs as Seulgi buries her face into Irene’s hair, arms coming to wrap themselves around her waist.

“I’m so proud of you,” Seulgi mumbles, and her fingers press insistently against Irene’s stomach. “And I’m so,  _ so _ happy for you.”

“And I,” Irene replies, twisting in Seulgi embrace and leaning in to plant a swift peck on her girlfriends lips, “and so,  _ so  _ thankful for having someone like you in my life.” She gazes up at Seulgi in utter adoration, like the younger girl had just handed her the world on a silver platter. “You’re my everything, Seul. You’ve done so much for me, encouraged me to do pick up where I’d left off when I thought I had to abandon everything behind. Just thank you, Seul, for being mine.”

“I should be telling  _ you _ that,” Seulgi chuckles. She threads her fingers through Irene’s long raven black hair with one hand, pulling Irene in to rest her head on her shoulder with the other.

Absentmindedly, she thinks back to how surreal the whole experience is— Bae Joohyun had been her idol as Seulgi had been climbing the ranks, and she even went as far as to almost imitate Joohyun’s signature electrifying platinum blonde hair, always pulled up in that recognizable high ponytail. It had been a dream of Seulgi’s to play on the same field as Bae Joohyun, and now, what seemed like an unattainable reverie has become a reality; she can still recall the shivers that danced down her spine as she watched Irene walk out of the locker rooms and step onto the Olympic field for the first time in years.

Seulgi finds it amusing that people are trying to identify the gap between Joohyun and Irene. Why did she change her name? How has she changed symbolically? What’s the difference? It’s funny, mostly because there isn’t— Seulgi hadn’t met Joohyun until after she’d met Irene, and the transition had been seamless. Joohyun or Irene, her Hyun is still her Hyun.

The very same girl who had strode into her hospital room that first day after her knee surgery and told Seulgi with nothing but sheer confidence,  _ I think you’ll be my best case yet. _

“Hyun?” She murmurs, and she feels Irene smile into her shoulder.

“Yeah, Seul?”

“Thank you. Thank you for believing in me first,” Seulgi says.

“Thank you for trusting me first,” Irene replies.

\--

If the South Korean Women’s team had been a storm during the FIFA World Cup, then they are nothing short of a straight up hurricane during the Olympic Summer Games.

They kick ass the entire way through the tournament, all the way to the moon and back before circling around again just for good measure, Seulgi and Moonbyul leading them like a pack of hungry wolves.

Nothing can stand in their way.

\--

**Minutes before the Olympic Finals (One year and two weeks post World Cup)**

Seulgi inhales in the scent of the clean jersey, humming lightly to herself before pulling it over her head. It’s funny, really, how at peace she feels just moments before the final Olympic game— the one that could make history. They’d be the first female team to win back to back tournaments, first at the FIFA World Cup, and now, hopefully at the Olympics, so she’s nervous, obviously, but there’s no back-breaking anxiety. No fear, just a quiet confidence.

Today, they could make Irene’s long-abandoned dream a reality.

She feels a familiar pair of hands help tug her jersey down, and when Seulgi’s head pops out the neck hole, she grins at a serenely smiling Irene.

“Hey, you,” the captain greets with a chuckle.

“Hi back at you,” Irene giggles, tugging at the fabric and smoothing out the creases as Seulgi lets the older girl dote on her with gentle hands. “Are you ready for the big day?”

“I think I am,” Seulgi replies, an air of assurance exuding the statement, and Irene feels the pride swell and expand in her chest like a sponge soaking up water. Her Seulgi has come so far since the days of her injury that she almost wants to cry. “I’m more than ready. How about you, Hyun?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be!” Irene chirps back as she steps away, rocking back and forth on her heels, toeing the floor with her cleats.

And the captain smirks, nudging Irene’s stomach gently, causing the forward to squeak in surprise, another giggle escaping her lips that Seulgi leans in to capture with her own. Looping her arms around Seulgi’s shoulders, Irene smiles into the kiss, bumping their foreheads together. Around them, their teammates pay no attention to their little act, already too used to witnessing such scenes— besides, who are they to talk when they’re doing the same with their significant others?

Leaning away, Seulgi pulls Irene in close, holding her by the small of her back.

“That was a great good luck kiss, but are you  _ sure _ you’re ready?” Seulgi prompts again, and Irene lets out another laugh.

“Why wouldn’t I be, Seul?”

“I don’t know… For something like the Olympic finals, don’t you need  _ this?” _

And Irene gasps as Seulgi gingerly takes her arm, slipping on a rainbow-colored captain’s armband around her left bicep with the utmost carefulness— the same exact captain’s armband that Seulgi and Moonbyul had been using as the National Team’s captains throughout the entire past season.

“Seulgi, I— what’s this?” Irene whispers, staring down at the band in shock. “I don’t—”

By now, the other girls had caught on to the change of events, and suddenly, Irene finds herself surrounded by the smiling faces of her teammates; of the family she had made by agreeing to coach, by rejoining the South Korean Women’s National Team. Oh, how she loves these girls dearly.

“I talked with Moonbyul and the rest of the girls,” Seulgi explains, shining tenderness and pride in her gaze as she rubs circles into the back of Irene’s hand, “and we decided that we wanted  _ you _ to be our captain for this final game.”

“But, why?” Irene shakes her head, furrowing her brow. “Seul, you and Moonbyul have led this team to get here. Both of you deserve to wear this band for this game.”

“Irene,” Moonbyul steps forward, Yves by her side. There’s something gleaming on their faces— nostalgia? Irene can’t quite put her finger on it, but she feels a warm feeling in the pit of her belly at the sight of the only remaining member from her own Olympic team standing next to the girl who had given her hope for the future right after her occupation change; they’d worked so hard to get to this stage. “There’s no one who deserves to wear this armband  _ more _ than you.”

“You were wronged all those years ago,” Yves continues, looking so at home in her uniform, gazing at the first National Team captain she ever knew. “They broke your leg, and you weren’t able to lead us at the Olympics. Without you, we fell apart. But look at you now, Irene! You’ve more than recovered— you came back even  _ better,  _ even  _ stronger.” _

“The crowd goes wild for you!” Wendy says excitedly. “Ever since you came back, the cheers only grow louder! Your story of redemption is awe-inspiring. They want you to win, unnie!”

“It only seems right that you draw this story arc to a conclusion with a bang,” Seulgi finishes proudly, patting the captain’s armband once more and gazing at her captain, her idol, her  _ girlfriend _ with all the love in the world. “The dreams you had… the ones you thought you had to give up… I want to make them all come true, Hyun! Right here, right now.”

“Seulgi…” Irene murmurs, tears welling in her eyes. “All of you… Thank you so much! Every single one of you.”

“Lead us to victory, Captain Joohyun!” Yeri cheers. “Let’s do this girls!”

“We got this!” Joy shouts, rallying the team up as everyone yells in turn. “Repeat after me, girls!  _ I!” _

**_“I!”_ **

_ “I BELIEVE!” _

**_“I BELIEVE!”_ **

_ “I BELIEVE THAT!” _

**_“I BELIEVE THAT!”_ **

_ “I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN!” _

**_“I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN!”_ **

**_“I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN!”_ **

**_“I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN!”_ **

\--

**The Olympic Finals (One year and two weeks post World Cup)**

“We’re down to the final ten minutes!” Irene yells, making herself loud and clear over the racket of the hyped crowd. “Ten minutes! This game… we’ve gone the whole eighty minutes, and neither us, nor the United States has scored a  _ single point. _ I think it’s about time we changed that, don’t you all think?!”

She receives cheers and high spirits in response, and Irene smiles. She’s glad that despite all the hardship, her teammates haven’t given up hope, haven’t started to feel like all is lost.

“We’re a team full of dream chasers!” Irene shouts, arms spread out to gesture to them all, and the other girls whoop in agreement. “A team of girls whose bones were broken, who were scorned by the media, who were told that they don’t stand a chance, who were  _ denied  _ the right. But who are the ones standing on this Olympic field right now, about to take those gold medals for ourselves?!”

_ “Us!” _

“That’s right!” Irene says in agreement, throwing her fist up in the air. “ _ Us.  _ Because we’re a team of  _ miracle workers. _ Girls who can make the impossible,  _ possible. _ We don’t know the meaning of giving up! Isn’t that right?!” 

There’s a chorus of cheers.

_ “Hell yeah!” _

“Our bodies are strong!” Seulgi continues, having received a look of encouragement from Irene. “Our minds are strong! Our willpower is strong! If there’s anyone who’s going to come out victorious from this, it’s  _ us!” _

_ “YES!” _

“And we’re stubborn as  _ hell!” _ Joy shouts, and they all get a round of laughter from that.

_ “So what are we gonna do right now?!” _ Moonbyul finally yells.

“We’re gonna WIN!!!”

\--

Last time Irene had been present at a big tournament like this, she’d been in the stands, at the FIFA World Cup.

This time, she’s in the exact opposite place, standing center field with her teammates on either side of her.

Ten minutes left.

She is a dream chaser; the Lightning Forward, the product of her own will and the strength of her loved ones.

And with Seulgi by her side and her family at her back, she can make miracles happen.

\--

The last minute of gameplay happens in a blur; it is definitely one to go down in the history books.

It is Joy who takes the ball back from an American forward, the goalie picking up the ball in her large goalie gloves and punting it over to Wendy.

Wendy makes an okay sign with her hands, passing the ball to the left for Yeri to take up.

Almost immediately, the young defender is nearly caught in a slide tackle from an opposing midfielder, and she jumps, flicking the ball over to Yves.

If there’s something that Yves is proud of, it’s her tenacity. The crowd goes wild as she, the newcomer, out-maneuvers three incoming American forwards, dodging and zipping around them— she was born to run.

From there, it’s a sharp right pass to Seulgi, who taps the ball down with skill, the crowd roaring in her ears. Seulgi had been their superstar back during the World Cup, it’s common knowledge to everyone. But Seulgi knows that while the World Cup had been the pinnacle of her recovery journey back then, the Olympics is not necessary her climax right now.

She passes the ball up to Irene.

Right now, it’s Irene’s turn to draw her conclusion. It’s Irene’s turn to finally put to rests all her worries, to finally fulfill her dream that’s been too long in the making.

Right now, Irene is the main character, and Seulgi is more than happy to cheer her on from behind.

They race down the field together, opposing defenders, midfielders, and forwards alike hot on their tail.

“Faster,” Seulgi whispers. She’s sure that to the normal ear, no one would hear, but this is her  _ Irene. _ Even as she finds herself falling behind, “Run faster, Joohyun! Run!”

Irene hears lightning crackle.

She’s never run so fast in her life.

And it must’ve been quite the sight too— one small Lightning Forward in front of a huge pack of bodies doing all they can to stop her.

They’re too late.

Irene sees the American goalie in front of her lunging to the left, and it feels almost like it’s in slow motion—

—except that it’s not, and Irene smirks, her left foot flicking out to shoot the ball squarely into the back right corner of the net.

The buzzer signifying the end of the game rings.

Irene sinks to her knees, hot tears of joy streaming down her cheeks.

The score is 1 to 0, and they  _ won. _

\--

Seulgi is the one who reaches her first, as the confetti is fired and the Korean National Anthem blares, and Irene is pulled into Seulgi’s strong, strong arms.

All she can do is cup Seulgi’s cheeks and pull the other girl in for a searing kiss, their teammates and the crowd completely screaming around them.

“We won,” Irene sobs into Seulgi’s jersey moments later when they pull away, short of breath because  _ damn, _ that was the longest 90 minutes of gameplay that either girl has ever played and everything is surreal, but kissing Seulgi feels like being grounded and being lifted up to the highest of heights at the same time— a strange, but exhilarating feeling that Irene can’t help but want to feel more of.

“We  _ did _ win,” Seulgi chokes out, her own eyes turning water. “Oh,  _ god, _ Hyun, you were absolutely phenomenal!”

“You think?” Irene blushes.

“You were the star,” Seulgi says, beaming as she taps on Irene’s rainbow captain-armband. “You  _ are _ the star. My star. You are my everything, Irene. I love you so,  _ so _ much!”

“Thank you so much for everything,” Irene gasps, throwing her arms around Seulgi’s neck and holding her tight. “Thank you for giving me the very best present of them all, Seul! I love you too!”

“You know I’d go to the ends of the earth for you, Hyun,” Seulgi says, raw adoration in her eyes as she presses their foreheads together. “I’d do anything for you, Irene.”

“And I would go to anything length for you as well,” Irene whispers, standing up on her tiptoes and pressing another hard kiss to Seulgi’s lips, and just for a brief moment, they forget about everything.

Of course, when they return to reality, Seulgi has a South Korean flag draped over her shoulders, and Irene’s been given a bottle of champagne to pop, but they grin at each other before turning back to join their friends in the festivities, hand in hand, heart in heart.

Nothing looks more perfect than the Olympic gold medal swinging around Irene’s neck, right next to the hummingbird necklace gift from Seulgi.

Because even after all of this time, even after Irene’s dream has been fulfilled, there’s still so much more to do, so much more to see.

Who better to see what life has to offer with than each other?

And they believe, believe, believe.

 

End.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading, everyone seriously!!! and thanks to those of you who were so patient with me putting this up on ao3 nearly 1.5 years after its creation lol


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